After the coup in Niger: how Swiss nuclear power plants supply uranium

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Unrest in the uranium market: At the beginning of the week, news leaked that the new rulers of the African state stopped uranium exports to France after the military coup in Niger.

Not without this. According to the World Nuclear Association, Niger is responsible for about five percent of global uranium mining and has the seventh largest uranium reserves in the world. According to the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), more than a quarter of the uranium imported into the EU in 2022 came from Niger. Most were exported to France on preferential terms.

Stopping deliveries from Niger is extremely inconvenient, given that the entire EU wants or has to get rid of Russian uranium deliveries, which account for about 20 percent of the total amount.

Is Switzerland affected by the problems?

In Switzerland, people are holding their breath, but for now, nothing will change. “No uranium from the Republic of Niger is used in Swiss nuclear power plants,” assures René Zimmermann, spokesperson for Swissnuclear, the Swiss nuclear power plant operators association.

But there are no details on the exact proportion of nuclear fuels owned by the uranium mining countries used in Switzerland. “Depending on the reactor type, there are specifications and limitations on the fuels used, and the purchase is subject to the trade secrets of the nuclear power plant operators,” says Zimmermann. Unlike other commodities, uranium is not traded in an open market. Buyers and sellers negotiate contracts privately.

Strictly speaking, Switzerland imports uranium ore concentrates from various suppliers and mining operators, but mostly imports enriched uranium-containing fuel elements produced abroad. According to Zimmermann, Swiss nuclear power plant operators get their nuclear fuel from the world market, “mainly Canada, Russia and France”. France gets a lot of uranium from Niger, but also from completely different regions, especially from the world market leader Kazakhstan.

The supply of the Swiss nuclear power plant is guaranteed in any case: contracts with fuel suppliers are concluded for several years or even decades. “This is why power plants continue to use Russian nuclear fuel,” says Zimmermann. Product quality and a reliable business relationship are very important.

Uranium price fluctuations have little effect

Swiss nuclear power plants currently have a stock of fuel elements that will keep them running for several years. Since there are sufficient uranium reserves worldwide, Switzerland will be able to obtain fuel from other countries without major problems if necessary. “There are enough alternatives,” says Zimmermann.

You don’t have to worry about prices either. Fluctuations in uranium prices have little effect on electricity generation costs at nuclear power plants. Because supply contracts are long-term and price stable. That’s because only one-fifth of the fuel assemblies need to be replaced each year.

Almost a fifth of electricity comes from nuclear power plants

According to the data of the Federal Energy Office, 19.6 percent of the electricity supplied in Switzerland in 2022 was produced in nuclear power plants. Despite the federal government’s “Energy Strategy 2050”, which prohibits the construction of new nuclear power plants and calls for a phasing out of nuclear power, Switzerland will remain committed to nuclear power for years to come. Therefore, uranium imports remain an important element of the Swiss energy supply.

Source :Blick