2024 US figures show increase in domestic U purchases

Owners and operators of US nuclear power reactors continued to purchase most of their uranium from foreign suppliers in 2024 - although the amount of material purchased from US producers was almost double the 2023 figure, according to the latest annual report from the US Energy Information Administration.
 

(Image: D Calma/IAEA)

A total of 55.9 million pounds U3O8e (21,502 tU) of deliveries from US and foreign suppliers was purchased during 2024, at a weighted-average price of USD52.71 per pound, according to the organisation's Uranium Marketing Annual Report, released on 30 September. This was 8% higher than the 2023 total of 51.6 million pounds U3O8. (U3O8e is defined by the EIA as triuranium octoxide (or uranium concentrate) and the equivalent uranium-component of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) and enriched uranium.)

Most of the uranium delivered in 2024 was of foreign origin, with Canada the top source at 36% of total deliveries, followed closely by Kazakhstan and Australia with 24% and 17% of total deliveries respectively. Uzbekistan-origin material accounted for 9% of total deliveries and Namibia-origin and Russian-origin material accounted for 4% of total deliveries each. Russian-origin material accounted for 2,301 million pounds U3O8 of 2024 deliveries, down from 6,042 million pounds year-on-year.

US origin material accounted for 8% of total deliveries in 2024, up from 5% in 2023, the EIA said.

At year-end, total US commercial inventories (including inventories owned by plant owners and operators, US brokers, converters, enrichers, fabricators, producers, and traders) were 167 million pounds U3O8e, a 6% increase from the 157 million pounds at the end of 2023. Commercial uranium inventories owned at the end of 2024 by plant operators and owners totalled 126 million pounds U3O8, 11% higher than inventories held at the end of 2023, although inventories owned by US suppliers (converters, enrichers, fabricators, producers, brokers and traders), at 41 million pounds U3O8e, were down 5% from 2023 year-end levels.

The Energy Information Administration is a statistical and analytical agency within the US Department of Energy.

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