Comments on: Peak Uranium? Our nuclear future might be shorter than we thought

By: Just a Reader

Just a Reader — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:24:00 +0000

Nuclear energy usage is 16 percent of total worldwide. If the world went totally nuclear, that would be only 16 years of energy production. Take into account Chris de Vidal’s point of population growth – at 3% per year as a proxy for energy use growth and we’re done in 13.3 years. I do remember reading somewhere that peak has already happened if you take into account the energy in the ground (lower quality uranium) versus what’s already been taken out.

By: Chris de Vidal

Chris de Vidal — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 21:17:52 +0000

“The International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Energy Agency figure there’s enough uranium to power existing plants for 100 years.”

Key phrase: “existing plants.”

The world population will double in 40 years, so (my math isn’t great) that’s about 50 years’ worth (someone check me).

Then, you must recall that the problems begin at production peak, /not/ exhaustion. That’s 25 years’ worth.

Then, you must recall that oil has almost certainly peaked, which means we’ll lean on nuclear much more heavily.

Thus, I give it approximately 15 years to peak.

How encouraging.

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:31:22 +0000

It is too late now! Burgeoning Asian growth has placed a stress on all the world’s finite resources with demand by bidding with powerful Yuan against the weakened fiat Yankee sawbuck for everything in sight, Uranium included – and since they are paying top dollar they get the biggest share. China’s Tsinghua University has developed and has up and running, a higher efficiency reactor of superior design to any thing Americans have to offer! China alone (only part of Asia) initiates ten more reactors this year alone, U.S.,A. , zero! not a good score. America will go Nuclear out of necessity – to maintain status quo lifestyles, and soon! but only as a temporary stop-gap for the inevitable: a more sustainable, productive, life style for all Americans! All this will be driven by dwindling oil resources in the world and Asian demand for them – as it is, Americans by Nuclear power produced goods with foreign oil based dollars from Asia, and soon will go broke, as Asia turns those same dollars around to bid for oil on world markets – bigger lever in the hands of the Asians! Yankee Doodle gets his fiat dollar ass kicked both ways! China laughs ans sells him even more Nuclear Power generated goods. Time long over-due for America to stop its world-wide Military follies in WWII garb, and get real on the important battle-front -the economic one, before Asians win completely.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:22:46 +0000

There is plenty of uranium left we just don’t know if we can access it for cheap enough, the statistic of 100 years left is at the current price of mined uranium the price can go up and we can mine more or we could figure out how to extract it from sea water. Most of the cost of nuclear power is in the construction. Looking at the Canadian CANDU (CANadian Deuterium Uranium) reactor which is also around the world the cost of uranium is 10% of the money that is gained from the energy so it would still be economical if the price went up. The CANDU reactor can used unenriched uranium AS WELL AS thorium and plutonium. There is also 4-5 times more thorium than uranium so even in the worse case scenario we do reach a peak of uranium there are many nuclear power alternatives. Nuclear power has a bright future as long as politicians and nuclear philistines don’t get scared and make irrational decisions.

source of “100 year of uranium left”
http://www.nea.fr/html/general/press/2008/2008-02.html

By: Joshua

Joshua — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:50:49 +0000

I doubt that we will be running out of Uranium by 2013. The majority of spent fuel is not being re-enriched as it is, and most estimates on the lifespan of your sources count for full scale re-enrichment. Also, there is plenty of Thorium for a long while as well, and Thorium reactors have less waste and are generally better than Uranium reactors. Even if Uranium runs out sooner than expected, we can simply most to the next fuel. Eventually we will need to move from fission to fusion, but not for a while.