Uranium Inventory

DOE plays a key role in the production and management of the Nation's stockpiles of uranium for national defense and peaceful applications. The DOE is authorized to sell the Government's surplus uranium per the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the 1996 USEC Privatization Act Public Law 104-134 (42 U.S.C. 2297h).


The Office of Nuclear Fuel Supply Security manages policy for the disposition of DOE’s surplus natural uranium and low enriched uranium (LEU) to meet Government national security and energy policy objectives while avoiding an adverse material impact on the domestic uranium industry. DOE may sell surplus natural and LEU provided the following requirements are met:

• The Nuclear Weapons Council under Presidential direction declares the material is surplus to national security needs.
  
• The Secretary of Energy makes a determination that proposed sales will not have an adverse material impact on the domestic uranium industry.
  
• DOE receives fair market value.

• HEU which has been declared surplus to defense needs.
  
• Natural UF₆ purchased from the Russians currently in a moratorium stockpile which can not be sold or transferred until March 2009.
  
• Natural UF₆ that was in the working inventory of the uranium enrichment enterprise which has since been discovered to be contaminated with technetium
  (Tc-99).

On June 17, 2002, the Department and USEC signed an Agreement, in part, establishing a path forward for resolving the Tc-99 uranium clean up. As part of the Agreement, USEC committed to operate the Portsmouth Shipping and Transfer facility for a 15-month period and remove the Tc-99 from a portion of the 9,550 MTU. Since then, additional agreements have been executed to continue operation of these facilities through Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 and beyond.

The DOE Office of Environmental Management manages the disposition of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF₆) that had been generated when DOE performed enrichment operations. A pilot project was initiated in May 2005 between DOE and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The project will process 8,500 MT of DUF₆ with an assay 0.40 wt% and greater over a maximum two year period. The project is estimated to produce a maximum of 1,900 MTU of natural equivalent UF₆. This UF₆ is to be used as feed by Columbia Generating Station between 2009 and 2017. Costs of the project will be paid by EN/BPA and include DOE's handling fees (for moving cylinders) and a separate contract for enrichment services and residual tails disposal provided by USEC.