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News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Going nuclear: Trump's EOs offer atomic opportunities for Australian uranium industry
President Trump has signed sweeping executive orders promoting the US nuclear industry The EOs set out a plan to quadruple US nuclear power production Australia has the largest uranium reserves in the world The morning of July 16, 1945, a thunderstorm washed the Jornada del Muerto desert clean, delaying a test that would change the course of history. By about 5am, the skies had cleared and winds had died to nothing. At exactly 5:29 and 21 seconds, the pre-dawn darkness was engulfed in blindingly bright light, transforming from yellow to red to purple and finally white in a matter of seconds. A massive shockwave thundered through the earth as a 600-metre-wide fireball punched up into the heavens, scattering what cloud remained. As the dust settled, where once had stood a 30-metre-tall steel tower topped by a plutonium bomb, there was now only desert sand – transformed into radioactive-green glass. The Trinity nuclear weapon test was a success. Humans had harnessed the power of the atom, if only for a single, stunning moment. A nuclear future Fast forward almost 80 years, and nuclear power produces 9% of the world's electricity generation. No longer the bogeyman of our grandparents' generation, nuclear power has become a standard component of the global energy mix, regarded with caution and optimism rather than outright fear. Today, there are about 440 nuclear reactors operating in 31 countries, providing about 25% of the globe's low-carbon energy. The United States is home to 94 of those reactors across 54 nuclear power plants, but that number is almost certain to rise in the next decade. US President Trump has signed sweeping executive orders aimed at kick-starting a new era of production within the US nuclear power industry, positioning it as a leader in nuclear technology once again. The EOs outline a plan to quadruple nuclear power generation in the US from 100 gigawatts to 400GW by 2050. To achieve that, the US government intends to ramp up power production at existing nuclear plants and initiate construction on at least 10 new large reactors by 2030. Supported by federal grants and funding from the Department of Energy, much of that new nuclear energy capacity will be used to support data centres and similar Artificial Intelligence infrastructure. Of course, building more reactors is all well and good, but you still need enriched uranium to power them. Russia and China dominate enriched uranium production One of the core focuses of Trump's new nuclear power EOs is divesting uranium imports away from Russia and China, which collectively account for about 57% of the world's enriched uranium production. They're followed by France (12%), the US itself (11%), the Netherlands (8%), the UK (7%) and Germany (6%). There are only four major companies that enrich uranium – Rosatom, CNNC, Urenco and Orano, all majority state-owned. Russia and China also have outsized control over global uranium mining production. Kazakhstan is the largest uranium miner globally, producing about 43% of total supply, followed by Canada (15%) Namibia (11%) and Australia (9%). As a former soviet bloc country, Kazakhstan has had close ties with Russia for decades, enriching much of its uranium with its northern neighbour. It's estimated about half of Kazakhstan's uranium is exported to China, with the rest going to Canada, Europe and the US. Trump is expected to invoke the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to declare a national emergency over America's reliance on Russian and Chinese enriched uranium and expand domestic conversion capacity. To that end, the administration intends to build out a commercial nuclear fuel recycling and reprocessing sector, a distinct departure from previous government policy which forbade the use of recycled fuel in commercial reactors. The EOs also detail a plan to expand domestic uranium conversion capacity and enrichment capabilities, with the end goal of producing enough enriched uranium to meet both civilian and defence reactor needs. What does it all mean for Australia? While the social, economic and environmental impacts from this step change in US energy strategy are bound to be far reaching and potentially world changing over the next few decades, today they represent an opportunity. Although much of it is locked away by state-based uranium mining bans, Australia holds about one third of total global resources of uranium. South Australia is home to the only producing mines at present, but the deposits themselves are scattered across the country, many in premier mining districts. As a political, economic and geographically strategic ally of the United States of America, Australia – alongside our cousins over in Canada – is incredibly well placed to take advantage of increased uranium demand. 'The latest Executive Orders reflect a clear, strategic shift in US energy policy,' Recharge Metals managing director Felicity Repacholi said. 'With projections suggesting the US will need up to four times more uranium to meet its clean energy and national security goals, the focus is finally returning to where it all begins – the mine gate. 'You can't expand nuclear energy, conversion, or enrichment capacity without a reliable supply of uranium.' Stepping into the uranium demand gap Recharge Metals (ASX:REC) is an ASX-listed uranium and lithium mining company with projects in the US and Canada. The company's US-based Carter project in Montana holds two uranium deposits with a total of about 5.1 million pounds of the yellow stuff. REC is currently moving through the permitting process for Carter, a regulatory requirement that could be drastically expedited under Trump's new EOs. 'There's now real momentum from the US government to reduce reliance on foreign uranium supply. That sends a strong signal to markets, developers, and explorers alike,' Repacholi explained. 'The increased regulatory flexibility and positive sentiment are making it more feasible than ever to bring new supply online. The US needs uranium and Recharge aims to be part of that solution.' Australian uranium companies are already benefiting from a surge in positive sentiment for the industry, which has been under pressure from short sell positions in recent months. At time of writing, Boss Energy (ASX:BOE) has climbed 24% in the last month, with several fellow ASX uranium companies adding materially to their share prices in the same period. Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) shares have jumped 16.7%, Terra Uranium (ASX:T92) 16.67% and Recharge Metals 80% in the last 30 days. Trump's push to accelerate the US nuclear energy industry isn't without its flaws, and critics no doubt have a raft of valid concerns, but even without this new administrative push the demand for uranium has only been growing. AI data centres hungry for low-carbon energy Ever since the artificial intelligence arms race between major technology companies like Microsoft and Apple kicked off, tech companies have been starving for more energy generation capacity. As many of them have climate and emissions targets, nuclear power has emerged as a highly desirable, low-carbon option. Last year, Microsoft signed a 20-year deal to reopen the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor, while Google has ordered six or seven small nuclear reactors from California'sKairos Power and Amazon purchased a nuclear-powered data centre from Talen Energy. Goldman Sachs estimates some 85-90GW of nuclear capacity will be needed just to meet data centre power demands by 2030. 'In the US alone, big tech companies have signed new contracts for more than 10 GW of possible new nuclear capacity in the last year, and Goldman Sachs Research sees potential for three plants to be brought online by 2030,' a research note stated. The World Nuclear Association's 2023 Nuclear Fuel Report predicts a 28% increase in uranium demand from 2023 to 2030, and a 51% increase from 2031-2040. That would take global uranium demand from 80,000 tonnes today, to about 102,000 pounds in 2030 and 120,000 pounds by 2040. Whether it's the Trump Administration or the Nasdaq's Magnificent Seven driving demand, the appetite for uranium is growing, and Australia is very well placed to meet it. At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Recharge Metals is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.
India.com
02-05-2025
- Science
- India.com
India Pakistan war: What is the difference between Atom and Hydrogen bomb and which is more dangerous? How and when they were invented? Most powerful bomb…
(AI image) New Delhi: A major revolution in the arms race came when America invented the atomic bomb. The devastation caused by this weapon in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan shocked the entire world, though it was just the beginning of these destructive weapons. After this, the hydrogen bomb or thermonuclear bomb was developed, which has not been used in any war yet and whose power is many times greater than that of the atomic bomb. Here, let's understand the difference between the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb (thermonuclear bomb) and how they work. The atomic bomb, also known as A-bomb (atomic bomb), works on the process of nuclear fission to produce energy after the explosion. In this process, the nucleus of an atom is split into smaller parts, which typically produces free neutrons and photons, and releases a massive amount of energy. The most notable examples of the use of atomic bombs are the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The Atomic Bomb was developed during World War II under the Manhattan Project and tested for the first time in 1945 (Trinity Test) and later dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Nuclear Bomb was developed during the Cold War when nations were seeking more powerful weapons. The first thermonuclear bomb test (hydrogen bomb), Ivy Mike, was conducted by the United States in Soviet Union tested the Tsar Bomba in 1961, which was the most powerful bomb ever detonated. The process of an atomic bomb explosion involves Nuclear Fission: Heavy isotopes such as Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239 undergo fission. Chain Reaction: The fission of these isotopes releases neutrons that trigger further fission in nearby atoms. Energy Release: This chain reaction releases a large amount of energy in the form of an explosion. What is a hydrogen bomb? A hydrogen bomb is a device that operates on a broad process involving both an atomic bomb (fission bomb) and a thermonuclear bomb (fusion bomb). Thermonuclear bombs, also known as hydrogen bombs or H-bombs, utilize nuclear fusion, where light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing energy. How does a nuclear bomb work? Nuclear fusion: Hydrogen isotopes like deuterium and tritium combine under extreme pressure and temperature. Stepwise process: The atomic bomb or thermonuclear device, also referred to as a hydrogen bomb, typically involves a two-step process in which the fission bomb triggers the fusion reaction. Release of energy: Fusion releases even more energy compared to fission, resulting in a significantly more powerful explosion.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Luján, Heinrich part of group reintroducing Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich have joined other senators on both sides of the aisle in reintroducing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act in an effort to revive and expand a program that compensates people who were sickened through the federal government's nuclear weapons testing and production. A bipartisan attempt last year to renew the previous Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act — which applied only to parts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah — also would have extended the benefits to residents of New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Guam. The measure passed the U.S. Senate by a wide margin last year but was never voted on in the House; House Republican leaders cited concerns about the cost of the expansion. The lack of action in the House allowed RECA to expire in June. Advocates for New Mexico downwinders, exposed to radiation from the first-ever atomic bomb detonation in July 1945 during the Trinity Test, and former uranium miners slammed House leaders last year for not holding a vote to extend the law. 'It is unacceptable that so many who have gotten sick from radiation exposure have been denied compensation by Congress," Luján said in a statement. "Despite having passed RECA legislation twice through the Senate with broad bipartisan support, and securing the support of the previous administration, I was disheartened that [House] Speaker [Mike] Johnson refused a vote on RECA to help victims," Luján added. Along with Heinrich and Luján, both New Mexico Democrats, the bill was reintroduced by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, and Mark Kelly, D-Arizona. 'The time to reauthorize RECA is now," Hawley said in a statement. "The Senate has done this twice before and must do it again. For far too long, Missourians and others across America have suffered without compensation from their government. It is vital that we unite to pass this legislation now, and that the President sign it into law."
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NM senators reintroduce bill to extend compensation program for atomic radiation exposure
Jan. 27—WASHINGTON, D.C. — A program to compensate uranium miners and people who lived downwind of nuclear bomb testing then developed certain cancers came to an end last summer, but Sens. Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich are trying to renew it. Lujan, D-N.M., reintroduced the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Friday with Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, as well as Heinrich, Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Republicans Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Mike Crapo of Idaho. Last year, Lujan and Hawley led an effort supported by New Mexico's entire congressional delegation to expand the Department of Defense program, which was established in 1990. Uranium miner workers who worked in uranium mines after 1971 were not originally included in the program, and New Mexicans who lived downwind of the Trinity Test have never been included. "Today, individuals affected by nuclear weapons testing, downwind radiation exposure, and uranium mining are still waiting to receive the justice they are owed," Lujan said in a statement. "It is unacceptable that so many who have gotten sick from radiation exposure have been denied compensation by Congress." Uranium is a key component in nuclear weapons. Half of the uranium mined for nuclear weapons in the U.S. was mined on the Navajo Nation. From 1945 to 1992, the U.S. government conducted 206 above-ground nuclear weapons tests and Monday was the 80th Downwinders Day of Remembrance. Downwinders are people who lived or worked downwind of nuclear weapons tests and were unknowingly subjected to radiation exposure. Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium founder Tina Cordova said she is grateful to the New Mexico delegation and Hawley. This is the fifteenth time a bill has been entered to expand RECA, she said. She remains cautiously optimistic it could pass into law. "When you've buried enough of your loved ones ... you realize that there's nothing to lose and everything to gain," Cordova said. The bill would expand the compensation program to include downwinders in New Mexico, as well as Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, and extend it for another six years. Although the same bill to expand the compensation program passed the U.S. Senate in 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson never brought the bill to the House floor for a vote. Instead the original program, which was set to sunset in June 2024, expired. "It is vital that we unite to pass this legislation now, and that the President sign it into law," Hawley said in a statement.
