To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform from where the uranium for the UK’s nuclear power stations is sourced; and what percentage came from each country in the latest period for which figures are available. (169225)

Uranium imports come from a diverse range of countries—uranium is currently mined in 19 different countries and resources of economic interest have been identified in at least 25 other countries.

Our Nuclear Consultation document shows the latest percentage figures of countries supplying the most uranium to EU15 utilities in 2005 as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects global supplies of uranium to be exhausted; and if he will make a statement. (169226)

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that world uranium resources are more than adequate to supply the expected global expansion of nuclear power.

The IEA’s 2006 World Energy Outlook concluded that identified conventional uranium resources are sufficient for several decades of operation at current usage rates. All demand to 2030 can be met from reasonably assured resources at a production cost below $80/kg. Beyond 2030 the additional demand can still be met on the basis of current estimates of total reasonably assured, inferred and undiscovered uranium resources.