Fuel shortage limits U.S. nuke power plans

U.S. scientists say dwindling supplies of nuclear power plant fuel might limit the expansion of nuclear energy in many nations.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report commercial and government inventories are nearly depleted and uranium production meets only about 65 percent of reactor requirements.

"Just as large numbers of new reactors are being planned, we are only starting to emerge from 20 years of underinvestment in the production capacity for the nuclear fuel to operate them, said Thomas Neff of MIT's Center for International Studies.

He said among numerous problems is the fact China, India and Russia have plans for massive deployments of nuclear power and are trying to lock up supplies from countries on which the United States has traditionally relied.

As a result, Neff said the United States could be the last one to buy and it could pay the highest prices, if it can get uranium at all.

"The take-home message is that if we're going to increase use of nuclear power, we need massive new investments in capacity to mine uranium and facilities to process it," he said.

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