A few weeks ago I was listening to the plans in Canada for a significant increase in Nuclear power. It was 10 plus large nuclear reactors. Today it is news from India that really had me listening 3 times while running today.
India changing Nuclear power from being Government only to allowing private enterprise to build and operate a planned 10 plus large nuclear reactors. The Mention of Tata, Westinghouse and others all being involved and discussion about how much u308 required.
The kicker was of course the fuel is not readily available in India. Regardless of its 4X 10x or more additional u308 required for the:
Current nuclear power reactors "As of early 2025, approximately 65 nuclear power reactors are currently under construction across 15 countries worldwide1. This represents a significant ongoing investment in nuclear energy globally, with most of these reactors being built in Asia.
"India has ambitious plans to significantly expand its nuclear power capacity in the coming decades. The government has set a bold target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, a substantial increase from the current capacity of 8.2 GW124."
Key Initiatives
Short-Term Goals:
Increase nuclear power capacity from 8,180 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031-3235.
Construct 18 new nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 13,800 MW by 203236.
Long-Term Vision:
Achieve 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 204714.
Launch a Nuclear Energy Mission with an outlay of ₹20,000 crore (approximately $2.4 billion) focused on research and development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)12.
Strategic Developments
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs):
Aim to operationalize at least five indigenously developed SMRs by 203312.
Develop "Bharat Small Reactors" (BSRs) and "Bharat Small Modular Reactors" (BSMRs) in collaboration with the private sector5.
Expansion Projects:
10 new reactors totaling 8 GW are under construction across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh5.
Approval for a 6×1208 MW nuclear plant in Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with the USA5.
Legislative Reforms:
Proposed amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, to enable private sector participation and enhance the regulatory framework15.
Getting to the key for miners. I asked "How much u308 will nuclear plants under construction require and when will they need it"
Copied in full as this is sweet for holders like me
"Based on the information provided in the search results, we can estimate the U3O8 requirements for nuclear plants currently under construction:## Estimated U3O8 Requirements- There are approximately 65 nuclear power reactors under construction across 15 countries.- Most of these reactors are expected to come online between 2025 and 2026.To calculate the U3O8 requirements, we'll use the following data:- Modern nuclear power plants require about 192 tonnes of U3O8 per GWe per year.- The total capacity of reactors under construction is roughly 70 GWe.Therefore, the estimated annual U3O8 requirement for these new reactors would be:192 tonnes/GWe/year × 70 GWe ≈ 13,440 tonnes of U3O8 per year## Timeline for U3O8 DemandThe demand for U3O8 will gradually increase as these reactors come online:- **2025**: A significant portion of the demand will begin, with reactors in Bangladesh, China, India, Korea, Russia, Slovakia, and Turkey scheduled to start operations.- **2026**: The demand will further increase as more reactors in Bangladesh, China, India, and Korea are expected to come online.It's important to note that the fuel for these reactors will need to be prepared in advance of their start dates. Typically, the first core load requires about 1.5 times the annual fuel load, so there will be a spike in demand shortly before each reactor begins operation.## Context- The current annual global demand for uranium is about 59,200 tonnes of uranium (tU), which is equivalent to approximately 69,800 tonnes of U3O8.- The additional 13,440 tonnes of U3O8 per year from new reactors represents a significant increase in global demand, approximately 19% over current levels.This increase in demand is expected to be met through a combination of increased uranium production, drawdown of existing inventories, and potentially higher enrichment levels to maximize the use of available uranium resources[1][2].Citations:[1] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/conversion-enrichment-and-fabrication/uranium-enrichment[2] https://nuclearinnovationalliance.org/uranium-supply-not-significant-constraint-using-nuclear-energy-climate-mitigation[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/712841/median-construction-time-for-reactors-since-1981/[4] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/introduction/nuclear-fuel-cycle-overview[5] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/plans-for-new-reactors-worldwide[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/NuclearPower/comments/1c5eqlf/how_much_uranium_does_a_1gw_nuclear_plant_need/[7] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/facts-and-figures/world-nuclear-power-reactors-and-uranium-requireme[8] https://css.umich.edu/publications/factsheets/energy/nuclear-energy-factsheet[9] https://www.maple-brownabbott.com/the-next-nuclear-renaissance/[10] https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/magazines/bulletin/bull60-2/6020405.pdf[11] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/the-nuclear-fuel-cycle.php[12] https://www.nei.org/fundamentals/nuclear-fuel[13] https://www.oecd-nea.org/upload/docs/application/pdf/2023-04/7634_uranium_-_resources_production_and_demand_2022.pdf[14] https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/infographic-how-much-power-does-nuclear-reactor-produce[15] https://www.ga.gov.au/digital-publication/aecr2021/uranium-and-thorium[16] https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/18/10/nuclearfuelcycle.pdf[17] https://world-nuclear.org/nuclear-essentials/how-is-uranium-made-into-nuclear-fuel[18] https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Typical-timeline-of-a-nuclear-plant-construction-and-start-up-project-Source-IAEA_fig5_304660691[19] https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/nuclear-101-how-does-nuclear-reactor-work[20] https://inis.iaea.org/records/bgsm3-a1y30[21] https://visualizingenergy.org/global-nuclear-reactor-construction-starts-and-duration-1949-2023/[22] https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-is-uranium[23] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/others/emerging-nuclear-energy-countries[24] https://www.energy.gov/ne/nuclear-fuel-cycle[25] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/[26] https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=isr%2Furanium%2Freport%2Fchapter2.htm[27] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-long-will-global-uranium-deposits-last/[28] https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/19/02/the-nuclear-fuel-cycle.pdf[29] https://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/ur-enrichment.html[30] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/introduction/nuclear-fuel-cycle-overview[31] https://www.worldnuclearreport.org/reactors.html[32] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1333678/nuclear-plants-construction-time/
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(20min delay)