Nuclear Power’s Second Revolution Needs More Fuel
New reactors with new designs mean new uranium mines and new production. Bloomberg Primer explores whether the industry can keep up with demand.
Photo Illustration: Christian Capestany
The nuclear power industry is booming. With electricity demand surging, dozens of nations have set a goal of tripling the world’s capacity by 2050. And the US, which has the biggest fission fleet, is pushing to quadruple output from its reactors. All of which leads to a key question: will there be enough uranium fuel to keep all those new plants humming?
The world not only needs more nuclear fuel, but different kinds of it. The industry is developing new reactor models that require new versions of the uranium that have powered reactors for decades. On this episode of Bloomberg Primer, we introduce you to the scientists and companies working to expand nuclear capacity in the US and around the world, and the big challenges they face.