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U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON DC 20585 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 1, 1997 U.S. Uranium Industry Continues Turnaround EIA Reports Production, Employment Up in 1996 The U.S. uranium industry continued to show signs of a turnaround in 1996, following a prolonged period of decline. According to the Uranium Industry Annual 1996, released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), domestic uranium concentrate production reached its highest level in five years, 6.3 million pounds, as employment increased for the fourth consecutive year -- to 1,118 person-years -- in 1996. Continuing its efforts to make reports available to the public sooner, the agency released the Uranium Industry Annual 1996 within a month after submission of data by producers and utilities to EIA. To increase public access to the report, EIA is also making it available on its Internet site at: http://www.eia.doe.gov. The report's specific Internet address is: ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/nuclear/uia96mas.pdf. Highlights of the report include: Uranium production in 1996 by all methods was 6.3 million pounds of yellowcake (uranium oxide or U3O8), an increase of 5 percent from the 1995 level of 6.0 million pounds and the highest production level since 1991. Uranium mine production increased by 33 percent in 1996 to 4.7 million pounds, an amount produced mostly by in situ leach mining. Total uranium industry employment continued to climb for the fourth consecutive year, reaching 1,118 person-years in 1996. Increased mining activity contributed to the growth. Employment in the mining sector was 333 person-years, up 47 percent from the 1995 level. There were 47.3 million pounds of uranium delivered to U.S. utilities in 1996, as yellowcake, uranium hexafluoride, and enriched uranium. This was 9 percent more than was delivered in 1995. Utilities paid an average of $14.12 per pound in 1996, up 26 percent from the 1995 price of $11.25 per pound. Utilities held 67.5 million pounds of uranium inventories at year-end 1996. This is an increase of 15 percent from the year-end 1995 level. Historically, year-end uranium inventories at utilities were at their highest in 1984 -- at 160.2 million pounds. The amount of uranium in fuel assemblies loaded into U.S. commercial nuclear reactors during 1996 was 45.5 million pounds, 5.7 million pounds less than in 1995. In addition to the Internet availability described above, copies of Uranium Industry Annual 1996 are available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, 202/512-1800, or through EIA's National Energy Information Center (NEIC), Room 1F-048, Forrestal Building, Washington, DC 20585, 202/586-8800, and e-mail address: infoctr@eia.doe.gov.
EIA Press Contact: Thomas Welch, 202/586-1178 EIA-97-12 Contact:
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