Testimony before the Congressional Committee on Science and Technology. Subcommittee On Energy Research And Production

Abstract

Any analysis of the problems of uranium supply and demand for the United States nuclear power industry must take cognizance of the recent national trauma over the nuclear reactor accident in Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania. National policy decisions on nuclear power will be made with this incident prominently in the foreground. It is essential that a balanced view of all aspects of the availability of energy supplies be maintained during these considerations. Nuclear energy can provide an important supply of electricity for which the true costs must include uncertainties and risks of several kinds. It is clear, also, that no other major source of energy is without some form of significant risk and considerable uncertainty about the timeliness of availability, cost to the immediate environment, and ultimate cost to society. In this discussion, no special advocacy for an enlarged role for nuclear power is intended. It is based upon what I believe to be a reasonable, pragmatic utilization of the present large investments in nuclear energy power systems with all appropriate care in the face of a growing world energy shortage. Perceptions of the requirements of natural uranium for the United States nuclear power industry have undergone significant modification in the last few years. The Department of Energy has continued to reduce its projections of installed nuclear generating capacity from year to year, as shown in Table 1.

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