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Four states supply domestic uranium concentrate in 2013

EIA: Although most of the uranium used in domestic nuclear power plants is imported, domestic uranium processing facilities still provide sizeable volumes of uranium concentrate to U.S. nuclear power plants. In 2013, uranium concentrate was produced at seven facilities in four states. Wyoming accounted for 59% of domestic production, followed by Utah (22%), Nebraska (15%), and Texas (4%), according to the World Nuclear Association. Uranium is processed into uranium concentrate either by grinding up ore or by using a liquid mixture to dissolve and separate the uranium, a process known as in-situ leaching. Most plants use in-situ leaching; Utah’s uranium mill is the only current exception. The output of the mill and the leach plants is uranium concentrate, known as U3O8 or yellowcake, which is transported to conversion and enrichment facilities for further processing before being fabricated into nuclear fuel. In 2013, U.S. processing facilities produced 4.7 million pounds of uranium concentrate, a 12% increase from 2012 and equal to about 11% of the uranium used by the nation’s 100 operating nuclear power reactors. The rest of the uranium used to fuel reactors came from other nations, including uranium received as part of the joint U.S.-Russian Megatons to Megawatts program, which ended last year.”

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