Owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors purchased a total of 53 million pounds U₃O₈e (equivalent) of deliveries from U.S. suppliers and foreign suppliers during 2008, at a weighted-average price of $45.88 per pound U₃O₈e. The 2008 total of 53 million pounds U₃O₈e increased 5 percent compared with the 2007 total of 51 million pounds U₃O₈e. The 2008 weighted-average price of $45.88 per pound U₃O₈e increased 40 percent compared with the 2007 price of $32.78 per pound U₃O₈e. Fourteen percent of the U₃O₈e delivered in 2008 was U.S.-origin uranium at a weighted-average price of $59.55 per pound. Foreign-origin uranium accounted for the remaining 86 percent of deliveries at a weighted-average price of $43.47 per pound. Australian-origin and Canadian-origin uranium together accounted for 42 percent of the 53 million pounds. Uranium originating in Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan accounted for 33 percent and the remaining 11 percent originated from Brazil, Czech Republic, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors purchased uranium for 2008 deliveries from 33 sellers, up from the 25 sellers in 2007. Owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors purchased uranium of several material types. Uranium concentrate was 55 percent of the deliveries in 2008; natural UF₆ was 36 percent and enriched uranium was 9 percent. During 2008, 16 percent of the uranium was purchased under spot contracts at a weighted-average price of $66.95 per pound. The remaining 84 percent was purchased under long-term contracts at a weighted-average price of $41.59 per pound. Spot contracts are a one-time delivery (usually) of the entire contract to occur within one year of contract execution (signed date). Long-term contracts include those with one or more deliveries to occur after a year following the contract execution (signed date) and as such may reflect some agreements of short and medium terms as well as longer term.

Uranium Purchased by Owners and Operators of U.S. Civilian Nuclear Power Reactors, 1994-2008

In 2008 owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors signed a total of 86 new purchase contracts.  Of these 60 were new spot contracts and 26 were new long-term contracts with deliveries of 36 million pounds from 2009 through 2018.  As of the end of 2008, the maximum uranium deliveries for 2009 through 2018 under existing purchase contracts for owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors totaled 229 million pounds U₃O₈e.  Also as of the end of 2008, unfilled uranium requirements (not under contract) for 2009 through 2018 totaled 274 million pounds U₃O₈e.  These contracted deliveries and unfilled requirements combined represent the maximum anticipated market requirements of 503 million pounds U₃O₈e over the ten year period.  For the years 2009 through 2013, the maximum anticipated requirements of owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors is 25 million pounds U₃O₈e less than projected enrichment feed deliveries for the same period, which indicates a period of inventory drawdown.

2008 Contracted Purchases and Future Deliveries of Uranium by Owners and Operators of U.S. Civilian Nuclear Power Reactors, as of 12/31/2008

In 2008, owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors delivered 43 million pounds U₃O₈e of natural uranium feed to U.S. and foreign enrichers.  Fifty-four percent of the feed was delivered to U.S. enrichment suppliers and the remaining was delivered to foreign enrichment suppliers.  Thirteen million separative work units (SWU) were purchased under enrichment services contracts from 5 sellers in 2008.  The average price paid by the owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors for the 13 million SWU was $121.33 per SWU, a 6 percent increase compared with the 2007 average price of $114.58 per SWU.  In 2008, the U.S.-origin SWU share was 15 percent and foreign-origin SWU accounted for the remaining 85 percent.  Russian-origin SWU was 38 percent of the total.  France, Germany, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom had an aggregate share of 34 percent.  Uranium in fuel assemblies loaded into U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors during 2008 contained 51 million pounds U₃O₈e, compared with 45 million pounds U₃O₈e loaded during 2007. Twelve percent of the U₃O₈e loaded in 2008 was U.S.-origin uranium, and 88 percent was foreign-origin uranium.

Uranium Feed Deliveries, Enrichment Services, and Uranium Loaded by Owners and Operators of U.S. Civilian Nuclear Power Reactors, 1994-2008

U.S. suppliers (brokers, converters, enrichers, fabricators, producers, and traders) and owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors purchase uranium each year from foreign suppliers.  Foreign purchases totaled 57 million pounds U₃O₈e in 2008, and the weighted-average price was $41.30 per pound U₃O₈e (21 percent higher than the 2007 price).  Also, U.S. suppliers and owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors sold uranium to foreign suppliers. Foreign sales totaled 17 million pounds U₃O₈e in 2008, and the weighted-average price was $45.62 per pound U₃O₈e (18 percent lower than the 2007 price).  Year-end commercial uranium inventories represent ownership of uranium in different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle (in-process for conversion, enrichment, or fabrication) at domestic or foreign nuclear fuel facilities.  Commercial uranium inventories owned at the end of the year by owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors in 2008 totaled 82 million pounds U₃O₈e, an increase of one percent from year-end 2007 and 42 percent from year-end 2004. Overall, total U.S. commercial inventories (including inventories owned by U.S. brokers, converters, enrichers, fabricators, producers, and traders) was 109 million pounds U₃O₈e as of the end of 2008, a decrease of 4 million pounds from year-end 2007.  Uranium inventories owned by U.S. brokers and traders were 14 million pounds; and U.S. converters, enrichers, fabricators and producers owned 13 million pounds of inventories at the end of 2008.

Foreign Purchases, Foreign Sales, and Uranium Inventories by U.S. Suppliers and Owners and Operators of U.S. Civilian Nuclear Power Reactors, 1994-2008