FUEL & FUEL CYCLE | MINING INNOVATION uranium mining Innovation in With nuclear capacity set to triple by 2050 demand for uranium is projected


to soar. A more sustainable and environmentally-friendly approach to uranium production is set to have a big impact on a cleaner future for all.


By Michael Windham


Above: The Dalur site, in the Kurgan region, north of Kazakhstan and near Yekaterinburg, has been in operation since the late 1990s. Source: Rosatom


IN 2023, AT THE UNITED NATIONS Climate Conference COP28, a historic milestone was reached: for the very first time, a resolution was adopted that placed nuclear energy on par with renewable sources as a priority for sustainable development. In the same year, the global nuclear community set a collective goal to triple nuclear generation capacity by 2050, a target that has already gained the support of more than 130 companies worldwide. According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), achieving this ambition will require the addition of roughly 28 GW of new nuclear capacity each year. By 2024, the world’s fleet of nuclear reactors demanded


over 67,000 tonnes of uranium annually. Under the baseline demand scenario presented in WNA’s Outlook, uranium requirements are expected to rise to 85,863 tonnes by 2030 and surpass 150,000 tonnes by 2040, in step with the rapid expansion of nuclear power generation. Global uranium production in 2024 reached 60,213


tonnes, exceeding the previous forecast of 55,468 tonnes and marking a 22% increase compared to 2022, largely due to higher output from established mines in Canada and Uzbekistan. Yet, WNA has cautioned that a “significant portion” of today’s primary uranium production capacity will close in the early 2030s to


14 | January 2026 | www.neimagazine.com


early 2040s. This will create a “substantial gap” between reactor demand and mining output, underscoring the urgency of deploying innovative and sustainable uranium extraction methods. Against this backdrop of rising global demand and looming supply challenges, the way uranium is extracted becomes as important as how much is extracted.


A uranium transition Open-pit and underground mining – traditional mining methods – have been supplying the world with uranium for decades. However, both involve mass overburden and ore mining, with subsequent crushing, processing, and disposal of tailings. Sound from a technical standpoint but environmentally devastating, they destroy ecosystems, negatively impact landscapes, and leave behind massive waste storage facilities whose long-term contamination risks are only just beginning to be appreciated. Critical environmental concerns are tailings ponds


containing radioactive waste, which are generally prone to leakage; groundwater pollution and depletion, generally in arid regions; surface disturbance, precluding land from being used for agriculture, grazing, or conservation; and reclamation expense, which is


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