Uranium conversion service costs rises in U.S.

Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--05Jan2004

The price of uranium conversion services in the U.S. jumped $1.35 per kilogram uranium (kgU) as uranium hexafluoride (UF6) over the past several weeks as Honeywell's plant at Metropolis, Ill. remains shut due to a Dec. 22 release of UF6. According to TradeTech, the conversion price at the end of December was $6.50/kgU as UF6. Two weeks earlier, the reported price was $5.15/kgU as UF6. ConverDyn, the joint Honeywell-General Atomics company that markets output of the Metropolis plant, formally notified many of its customers Dec. 30 that it would be unable to make near-term deliveries until sometime later in the year. ConverDyn said its UF6 inventory was depleted during a shutdown that lasted 78 days during September through November. NRC, which sent an augmented inspection team to the plant, will hold an exit meeting with Honeywell tomorrow evening.