| New Mexico hasn't had a uranium boom since | | | | years. |
| 1950. After Navajo shepherd Paddy Martinez | | | | |
| woke up from his nap, beneath a limestone | | | | What is Gas Centrifuge Technology? |
| ledge with a handful of funny looking yellow | | | | |
| rocks, only to be later told he had | | | | Only 0.7 percent of the weight of natural |
| discovered New Mexico's first uranium, the | | | | uranium, the U-235 isotope found in nature's |
| state was swarmed with thousands of | | | | uranium, is the isotope needed to power a |
| prospectors hoping to cash in on the nuclear | | | | nuclear reactor. The U-235 isotope is the one |
| metal. | | | | that splits inside the core. It is this |
| | | | isotope which releases energy in the fission |
| Another uranium boom may now be in progress. | | | | process. Because natural uranium can not |
| This time, the charge is led by the European | | | | power a nuclear reactor, the concentration of |
| consortium Urenco Ltd, general partner of | | | | U-235 must be slightly increased, also known |
| Louisiana Energy Services (LES), which was | | | | as 'low enrichment,' from 0.7 percent to |
| issued a draft license, this past Friday, by | | | | between 3 and 5 percent. The enrichment |
| the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to | | | | occurs during the centrifuge process. |
| build and operate a $1.5 billion uranium | | | | |
| enrichment plant in Lea County, New Mexico. | | | | It is called the 'gas centrifuge process" |
| Louisiana Energy Services is a Urenco-managed | | | | because gaseous uranium hexafluoride (UF6) is |
| partnership, whose members include Exelon | | | | fed into a cylindrical, high-speed rotor. The |
| Corp, Entergy Corp and Duke Energy Corp. This | | | | gas is whirled around inside thousands of |
| is the first permit issued for a uranium | | | | centrifuges in a nearly friction-free |
| enrichment facility in thirty years; the | | | | environment, separating the fissionable U-235 |
| first ever to a private company. | | | | isotope from the heavier U-238 isotope. The |
| | | | centrifugal motion pushes the heavier U-238 |
| Announcement of the uranium enrichment | | | | gas away from the useful U-235 gas, which |
| facility came nine days after International | | | | remains closer to the rotor axis. The process |
| Uranium Corporation (IUC) announced it was | | | | is repeated until the desired enrichment |
| reopening its uranium mines in the Four | | | | percentage is achieved. |
| Corners region of the western United States. | | | | |
| In a company news release, Ron Hochstein, | | | | Let's back up the process a few steps. First, |
| president of IUC, announced, "We intend on | | | | the uranium is mined and milled. The finished |
| utilizing our large capacity mill to its full | | | | product, which is shipped off to the |
| advantage through toll milling contracts with | | | | conversion facility, is called yellowcake. |
| other future miners in the area…" The | | | | |
| company's White Mesa Mill, only one of two | | | | The next step in creating nuclear fuel for a |
| operational uranium mills in the United | | | | reactor is the conversion process. The |
| States, is across from the New Mexico border. | | | | yellowcake, or U3O8, is converted into |
| | | | uranium hexafluoride, or UF6. Yellowcake is |
| Uranium development companies have acquired | | | | dissolved in nitric acid to create a new |
| uranium properties, abandoned by major oil | | | | solution, uranyl nitrate. Hydrogen is then |
| companies during the uranium drought of the | | | | used to reduce this to UO2. This is then |
| 1980s and 1990s, and could be well positioned | | | | converted to UF4 with hydrofluoric acid. The |
| to advance those properties through the | | | | UF6 is obtained with the uranium is oxidized |
| permitting process. Over the past year, newer | | | | with fluorine. At ambient temperatures, UF6 |
| uranium companies have entered the state, | | | | forms solid grey crystals. Depending upon its |
| optimistic the record-high spot uranium price | | | | temperature, uranium hexafluoride can be a |
| may help finance their exploration and | | | | solid, liquid or gas. |
| development costs in New Mexico. | | | | |
| | | | After the U3O8 has been converted to UF6, it |
| With a uranium mill, just past the western | | | | is transported to the enrichment site in an |
| border of New Mexico in neighboring Utah, and | | | | internationally standard transport container. |
| the soon-to-be-built uranium enrichment | | | | The solid UF6 is heated up in an air-tight |
| facility in southeastern New Mexico, when | | | | pressure vessel until it returns to its |
| might the state again become a world-class | | | | gaseous state. It is then fed into the |
| production center? Only over the past few | | | | centrifuge. The Urenco 'gas centrifuge' has |
| years has Canada's Athabasca Basin, with its | | | | two pipes, one which removes the enriched |
| ultra-high grades of uranium ore, surpassed | | | | uranium and another which removes the heavier |
| the cumulative production of New Mexico. The | | | | uranium, depleted of U-235. |
| Grants Mineral Belt in northern New Mexico | | | | |
| produced more than 340 million pounds of | | | | Because a single centrifuge won't enrich the |
| uranium oxide (U3O8, yellowcake) before the | | | | uranium to the desired level, a number of |
| uranium depression of the 1980s and 1990s | | | | centrifuges are connected together. The |
| brought New Mexico mining to a standstill. | | | | connected, parallel centrifuges are called a |
| The Grants Mineral Belt produced about 40 | | | | cascade. By passing through each of the |
| percent of all the mined uranium in the | | | | centrifuges in the cascade, the U-235 is |
| United States. Who is Urenco? | | | | gradually enriched to the level required by |
| | | | the customer, a nuclear power plant. |
| Urenco is short for Uranium Enrichment | | | | |
| Company. Three countries - Germany, the | | | | After the desired enrichment level is |
| Netherlands and the United Kingdom - signed | | | | achieved, the enriched UF6 gas is passed |
| the Treaty of Alemlo (Netherlands) on March | | | | through a series of compressors and packaged |
| 4, 1970 as a way to collaborate in developing | | | | into product containers. The UF6 gas is |
| centrifuge technology for uranium enrichment. | | | | cooled until the vapors solidify onto the |
| In 1971, three industrial partners - British | | | | walls of the container. The finished product |
| Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL), Ultra-Centrifuge | | | | is shipped to the fuel fabrication plant |
| Nederland N.V. (UCN) and Uranit GmbH - | | | | where the solid, enriched uranium is |
| founded Urenco Ltd. The company has since | | | | manufactured into fuel pellets. |
| spun off its Enrichment Technology Company. | | | | |
| There are now three wholly owned | | | | Uranium Enrichment Means Big Money |
| subsidiaries, based in each of the respective | | | | |
| countries. | | | | The key to expansion, after sufficient U3O8 |
| | | | has been mined, is ensuring the uranium is |
| The Louisiana Energy Services partnership | | | | converted and enriched so that it can fuel |
| plans on building the National Enrichment | | | | nuclear power plants. Until now, U.S. |
| Facility (NEF) about five miles east of | | | | utilities have relied upon Russian HEU to LEU |
| Eunice, New Mexico. The NEF plans on | | | | supplies to fuel their nuclear reactors. |
| providing a sustainable domestic supply of | | | | Urenco's NEF in New Mexico gives a boost to |
| slightly enriched uranium, also called 'low | | | | the nuclear energy sector, and provides U.S. |
| enriched uranium' or LEU, using Urenco's gas | | | | utilities with an alternative to having |
| centrifuge technology. Currently, USEC is the | | | | uranium enriched at USEC's Kentucky plant, or |
| other uranium enrichment facility, using the | | | | worse yet, shipping domestically produced |
| more expensive gaseous diffusion technology. | | | | uranium overseas for enrichment. For |
| USEC is a publicly traded company, created | | | | instance, Brazil was forced to have its |
| under the Clinton-Gore Administration for the | | | | uranium enriched in Europe, until recently. |
| purposes of the Russia-US 'swords for | | | | |
| plowshares' HEU deal. Under the HEU | | | | Value-adding to the fuel supplying reactors |
| agreement, Russia's counterpart supplied USEC | | | | can mean big money for LES, and especially |
| with uranium from decommissioned Russian | | | | for Urenco Ltd. But, the investment of $1.5 |
| nuclear weapons. This uranium now supplies | | | | billion will also produce hundreds of new |
| U.S. utilities with about 50 percent of the | | | | jobs for the border towns of both New Mexico |
| uranium used to power domestic nuclear power | | | | and Texas. Estimates show about 800 |
| plants. | | | | construction jobs will be created as the |
| | | | facility is being built, and as many as 1200 |
| In 2001, the domestic uranium industry only | | | | during the peak of the construction. About |
| produced 12 percent of its required supply of | | | | 300 employees will be required to operate the |
| enriched uranium, while Russia exported 55 | | | | facility. Nearby Andrews, Texas has been |
| percent to the United States. Urenco supplied | | | | celebrating the National Enrichment Facility. |
| 16 percent of the U.S. demand. Urenco plans | | | | The city manager expects the number of new |
| to increase its percentage of enriched | | | | homes under construction to jump by 10-fold |
| uranium to about one-quarter of U.S. | | | | this year. School enrollment has grown over |
| enrichment demand, once the plant is running | | | | the past year while newcomers have moved into |
| at full capacity. This amounts to annual | | | | the area, hoping for construction jobs. |
| production of 3 million Separative Work Units | | | | |
| (SWUs). A Separative Work Unit is the unit | | | | Urenco's National Enrichment Facility should |
| used to express the effort necessary to | | | | begin construction later this summer, |
| separate U-235 and U-238. The capacity of | | | | probably in August. Louisiana Energy Services |
| enrichment plants is measured in tons SW per | | | | (LES) hopes to start selling enriched uranium |
| year. For example, a large nuclear power | | | | in 2009, probably to its U.S. utility |
| station with a net electrical capacity of | | | | partners, who hope to build new reactors. A |
| 1300 MW requires an annual amount of 25 tons | | | | statement issued by the Nuclear Energy |
| SW (enriched uranium) to operate (with a | | | | Institute (NEI) on Friday, congratulating LES |
| concentration of 3.5 percent U-235). | | | | for the approval of its NRC license pointed |
| | | | ahead to the U.S. expansion of the nuclear |
| The National Enrichment Facility will become | | | | energy sector. The NEI's chief nuclear |
| Urenco's North American debut of the | | | | officer, Marvin Fertel, said, "This |
| company's gas centrifuge technology, which | | | | experience bodes well for the construction |
| the company boasts is the 'world's most | | | | and operating license applications for new |
| advanced, energy-efficient and cost-effective | | | | nuclear power plants that are expected to be |
| uranium enrichment technology.' It has | | | | submitted to the agency beginning in 2007. |
| reportedly been used for more than thirty | | | | |