The impact of uranium ore grade on the greenhouse gas footprint of nuclear power

While the impact of new and improved technologies anticipated in the future in the various stages of the nuclear fuel cycle will help offset the effect of falling uranium ore grades in the near to medium term, the long-term future of nuclear power as a low greenhouse gas source of electrical power would appear to be strongly dependent on the widespread deployment of fast breeder reactors which will significantly increase the lifespan of current uranium resources. However, extrapolating results based on current resource and ore grade data into the future is fraught with uncertainties, and is done here to give indicative rather than definitive values for future uranium ore grades and the likely impact on the GHG footprint of nuclear power.