Uranium Conversion Industry Overview

Nuclear power plants world-wide required the equivalent of some 62,000 mtU as UF6 in 2004. Demand is expected to grow about 0.5% per year over the next decade. In recent years, one-third of world demand has been met with secondary sources of UF6, from the disposal of inventories, downblending of nuclear weapons, tails re-enrichment, and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Primary converters contribute over 40,000 mtU as UF6. As secondary sources are depleted, primary converters will need to increase their share of world supply.

ConverDyn provides conversion-related services to nuclear utilities in the U.S.A., Europe and Far East. With a sustainable capacity of 14,000 mtU as UF6, Honeywell’s Metropolis Works facility (Honeywell-MTW) represents about 25% of installed conversion capacity worldwide.

In addition to Honeywell-MTW, major conversion facilities are located in Canada, France, and Russia. A conversion plant in the U.K. is scheduled to close in early 2006, which will further contribute to the need for existing converters to expand production.

Want to know more? Learn about the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear generation, radioactivity and radiation and the important future for nuclear power in meeting world energy demand by clicking from the menu on the right.