Uranium Facts – Did You Know?
Increasing Global Demand for Uranium
 Uranium: Used primarily in nuclear power reactors
for the production of electricity
 World primary energy demand will grow by 1.5%
per year on average from 2011 to 2030, leading to
a 40% increase by 20302
 As one of the more commonly found elements in
the Earth’s crust, uranium is considered to be an
abundant source of concentrated energy
 Global population will reach 8 billion within 20
years—leading to higher energy demand, which
will thus have a major impact on the planet3
 Uranium is not a dangerous and unstable energy
source
 World needs to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
emissions by finding a carbon-free energy source
with sufficient resources to fuel the increased
energy demand and power the world’s steadily
increasing population
 The uranium industry is regulated by international
and national standards. Safety is a top priority for
all uranium companies. These regulatory standards
control every type of risk, including public and
employee risks
 Uranium, used in the production of electricity
through nuclear power, is considered to be the
only reliable energy source capable of meeting
the increasing global energy demand and
environmental expectations and standards of
the international community
 U-235 (an isotope of uranium) is the most interesting
isotope of uranium because it is “fissile”, meaning
it can be split under certain circumstances,
releasing large amounts of energy, including heat.
This property makes it a good fuel for electricity
generation1
 Demand for uranium is currently growing
dramatically and exceeds uranium mine supply
significantly (see Supply & Demand Chart below)
 Canada is the world’s 2nd largest uranium producer
(behind Kazakhstan)—22% of world output
 Historically, more uranium has been mined in
Canada than any other country in the world
 Uranium production in Canada expected to ramp
up by 2013 as Cameco’s Cigar Lake mine comes
into production
WORLD URANIUM PRODUCTION AND DEMAND
80,000
Uranium Tonnes
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10
20
05
20
00
20
95
19
90
85
19
Year
19
80
19
75
19
70
19
65
19
60
19
55
19
50
19
19
45
10,000
World Civil Plus Estimated Naval Demand
World Total Civil Power Demand
World Total Uranium Supply from Mines
Source: World Nuclear Association, Cameco Corporation, 2011
1. Canadian Nuclear Association, 2011
2. International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), 2009
3. US Census Bureau, 2009
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Nuclear Facts – Did You Know?
 Nuclear power is the only non-polluting source of
energy that has sufficient resources to meet the
increasing global demand for energy and power the
planet’s electrical grid
 Nuclear is the world’s only affordable, available,
reliable, safe and Greenhouse Gas Emission-free
source of energy (see GHG Comparables chart below)
 Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power emits neither
carbon dioxide (CO2), the major GGH behind global
warming, nor sulphur dioxide (SO2) or nitrous oxides
(N2O), which are the major contributors to acid rain,
air pollution and smog4
 On average, nuclear power generates as little CO2
as wind and geothermal power, and less CO2 than
solar.5 Nuclear power effectively reduces carbon
dioxide emissions by approximately 2.5 billion
tonnes per year.6
 Other non-polluting energy sources such as wind,
solar, geothermal and biomass, cannot meet the
growing energy demands of the world
 Nuclear power is one of the world’s most affordable
methods of generating electricity ($48.73/MWh),
less than offshore wind ($101.02/MWh) and solar
($215.45/MWh)7
 Nuclear fuel can be recycled to extract uranium and
generate more energy
 Security of nuclear waste storage facilities is strictly
controlled and nuclear waste storage is safe and
reliable.
“A person who lives in the vicinity of a nuclear reactor
receives less radiation each year than someone who
spends a few hours in an airplane. For instance, ‘a
person flying one-way from Toronto to Vancouver will
receive about 15-20 times the amount of radiation
exposure as a person living at the perimeter of a
nuclear plant for a whole year.’’
—World Nuclear Association, 2008
Total Greenhous Gas Emissions (tonnes/GWh)
COMPARISON OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
1,000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Coal
Oil
Natural Gas
Solar
Biomass
Energy Source
Nuclear
Hydro
Wind
Source: World Nuclear Association, Cameco Corporation, 2011
4.
5.
6.
7.
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Source: OECD/IEA, 2009
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2011
World Nuclear Association, 2009
OECD, 2010
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Nuclear Power in Canada
 Use of nuclear power in Canada avoids the
emission of 90 million tonnes of GHG per year8
 Canadian nuclear industry generates $1.2 billion
in annual exports and $1.5 billion in federal and
provincial tax revenues9
 Nuclear industry provides Canadians with 21,000
direct jobs and 50,000 indirect jobs
 Canadian government has set an objective of
meeting 90% of Canada’s electricity needs with
non-polluting energy sources such as nuclear, hydro,
solar, or wind power10
 Ontario uses power from its 16 nuclear reactors to
generate 58% of the province’s electricity
 Bruce Power Nuclear Generating Station (NGS) in
Ontario will be the world’s 2nd largest nuclear power
facility in the world (expected to go online in 2012).
The Bruce Power NGS can generate up to 54,000,000
MWh of electricity per year, enough to power 4.5
million households11
 Non-hydro power renewables, such as wind, solar,
tidal, and wave, generated less than 1% of electricity
in Ontario in 2010
“In Canada’s 47 years of nuclear energy, no member
of the public has ever been harmed as a result of a
radiation leak from a nuclear power plant or waste
storage facility.”
—Canadian Nuclear Association, 2009
“[Britain] must go forward with new nuclear
and we would be a darker and less prosperous
nation without it.”
—Charles Hendry, Britain’s Energy Minister (July 5th 2011)
The Political State of
Nuclear Power Worldwide
 China, India, Russia: 41 reactors under construction,
84 reactors in the planning stage
 China: 26 nuclear reactors under construction,
52 planned, 120 proposed
 2010: 16 new reactors started production
(10 in China)
 Russia: World’s 3rd most aggressive builder of
Nuclear Power Plants (32 operating plants in 2011)
 United States: Reaffirmed nuclear commitment with
Russia (Sept 2011), Two in three Americans support
nuclear power (public opinion poll, Sept 2011)
 World’s 4th most aggressive builder of nuclear
power plants, 104 operating nuclear power plants
 United Kingdom: 10-12 new reactors planned,
Recently announced commitment to nuclear energy
(Oct 2011)
 France: World’s largest exporter of nuclear power
(58 operating nuclear power plants)
 Currently obtains 75% of the country’s electricity
from nuclear power
 Recently pledged $1.4 billion towards nuclear
power
 Jordan, South Korea, Argentina: Moving forward
with nuclear plans; Political support remains strong.
 Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Saudi Arabia: Recently
announced new nuclear programs
 Germany, Italy, Switzerland: Represent only
5.8% of world uranium demand
 Japan: Expecting to increase nuclear power
dependency to 50% of the country’s electricity
generation by 2030
8.
9.
10.
11.
Canadian Nuclear Association, 2009
Natural Resources Canada, 2011
Environment Canada, 2009
Canadian Nuclear Association, 2011
For further information on nuclear power in Canada, please visit the Canadian Nuclear Association at www.cna.ca
For more facts, please visit Uracan’s “About Uranium” page at www.uracan.ca/AboutUranium
Uracan Resources Ltd.
1055 Dunsmuir St., Suite 2184
PO Box 49275, Bentall Four
Vancouver, BC, Canada V7X 1L3
TEL
FAX
1.604.682.5580
1.604.682.5596
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INVESTOR RELATIONS
Stephanie Batory, MBA
EMAIL
TEL
TF
[email protected]
1.778.330.2759
1.877.508.U308 (8308)
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