FACTBOX: What is the nuclear fuel cycle?
(Reuters) - Iran declared fresh progress in its
nuclear program on Thursday, inaugurating its first nuclear
fuel production plant and announcing it had tested more advanced
equipment for enriching uranium.
Here are some details on what happens in the fuel cycle and
some details about the nuclear industry:
* FRONT END OF THE CYCLE:
-- Activities that constitute the front-end of the fuel
cycle include uranium exploration and mining of uranium ore.
-- Milling and refining of the ore to produce uranium
concentrate (yellow cake).
-- Production of uranium hexafluoride; isotopic enrichment
of uranium hexafluoride to meet reactor enrichment requirements
and fabricate nuclear reactor fuel.
-- Fabrication includes the conversion of uranium
hexafluoride to uranium oxide; pelletization of uranium oxide;
encapsulation of uranium oxide pellets in fuel rods.
-- Assembling fuel elements.
BACK END OF THE CYCLE:
-- Activities in the back-end of the fuel cycle include
temporary or long-term spent fuel storage;
-- Spent fuel reprocessing with recovery of plutonium and
uranium for recycling;
-- Mixed oxide fuel fabrication;
-- Radioactive waste management including treatment,
conditioning, storage, disposal and transportation associated
with moving radioactive materials to and from each operation.
* NUCLEAR INDUSTRY:
-- There are 436 nuclear power reactors in operation.
-- There are 44 reactors under construction and five nuclear
power reactors in long term shutdown.
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AROUND THE WORLD:
By Country No. of Units Total MW(e)
ARGENTINA 2 935
ARMENIA 1 376
BELGIUM 7 5,824
BRAZIL 2 1,766
BULGARIA 2 1,906
CANADA 18 12,577
CHINA 11 8,438
CZECH REPUBLIC 6 3,634
FINLAND 4 2,696
FRANCE 59 63,260**
GERMANY 17 20,470
HUNGARY 4 1,859
INDIA 17 3,782
JAPAN 53 45,957
SOUTH KOREA 20 17,647
LITHUANIA 1 1,185
MEXICO 2 1,300
NETHERLANDS 1 482
PAKISTAN 2 425
ROMANIA 2 1,300
RUSSIA 31 21,743
SLOVAK REPUBLIC 4 1,711
SLOVENIA 1 666
SOUTH AFRICA 2 1,800
SPAIN 8 7,450
SWEDEN 10 8,958
SWITZERLAND 5 3,238
UKRAINE 15 13,107
UNITED KINGDOM 19 10,097
U.S. 104 100,582
=============================================
Total: 436 370,120
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** France generates approximately 80 percent of its energy
from 59 nuclear power plants and extensive experience building
them.
-- The government-owned company AREVA is building a "third
generation" reactor called the European Pressurized Reactor
(EPR), and President Sarkozy has toured countries from China to
Libya promoting French nuclear expertise.
-- AREVA is currently constructing EPRs in Normandy,
Finland, and China, with the possibility of future sales to
countries such as Brazil, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
Sources: Reuters/IAEA/NTI
