1) The #Uranium#mining#stocks#investing thesis in a nutshell🥜 is that after Fukushima the #U3O8 price sank, new mine projects were cancelled, many mines closed, investment dropped💰⤵️ as investors mistakenly thought '#Nuclear#energy is dying'🪦 but they were wrong!✖️😯../2👇
2) #Nuclear#energy has recovered over the past decade⚛️🏗️⤴️ so that #Uranium demand today is back where it was before Fukushima & surging higher.🌞 A #Nuclear revival has been underway for years📈 now kicked into high gear🏎️ by an #EnergyCrisis & #NetZero targets.🎯⚡️⏫ .../3👇
3) Rising #Nuclear fuel demand🌞⚛️🏗️⤴️ as #Uranium production declined⛏️⤵️ has led to a massive mined U supply deficit⏬ estimated last year by industry consultants at ~65M lbs #U3O8 in 2022, partially offset by ~20M lbs of 'Secondary Supply' from other non-mined sources⛏️.../4👇
4) But bringing idled & new large #Uranium mines into production requires far higher #U3O8 prices than today's ~$49/lb⚠️ as inflation pushes costs higher💰 so that $90+/lb needed to bring enough new mines online to fix the deficit🏭⬆️⛏️ as operating mines are in decline↘️🗜️../5👇
#Russia's war on #Ukraine🪖 has sparked an #EnergyCrisis⚡️😟 and disrupted already depressed #Uranium supply💥⛏️⤵️ in midst of a global #Nuclear resurgence.🌞⚛️🏗️⤴️ A pivot away from Russian U supply🇷🇺⛔️ is creating new shock-waves.🌊 More detailed🧵here:👇
1) #Zaporizhzhya#Nuclear plant update: Grid power restored, all 6 reactors in cold shutdown= no fission, no possibility of runaway chain reactions, meltdowns or other severe events.🦺 Even without grid power & backup generators a radiation release is "extremely unlikely"../2🧵👇
2) #Zaporizhzhya NPP's reactors were upgraded after Fukushima⚛️🧰👷 to prevent any hydrogen explosion & radiation release💥 as happened in Japan due to the lack of a steel-reinforced concrete containment dome and passive hydrogen venting in their 1960's vintage reactors.☮️.../3👇
3)#Zaporizhzhya NPP's "passive" hydrogen safety systems require no external power so that even if backup power is lost there can be no hydrogen explosion as happened at Fukushima.🦺 ZNPP's steel-hardened sealed containment domes remove threat of #nuclear radiation "leaks"🌞../4👇
1) The #Uranium#mining#stocks#investing thesis in a nutshell🥜🧵 is that after Fukushima the price of #U3O8 sank, new mine projects were cancelled, many mines closed, investment dropped 💰⤵️ as investors thought "#Nuclear#energy is dying"🪦 but they were wrong!✖️😯 .../2👇
2) #Nuclear#energy has grown steadily over past decade so that #Uranium demand today is back where it was before Fukushima.🌞⚛️🏗️↗️ A #Nuclear renaissance has been quietly underway for years📈 & has been kicked into high gear by the #ClimateCrisis & #EnergyCrisis.🏎️🏗️⏫ .../3👇
3) Rising #Nuclear demand🌞⚛️🏗️⤴️ as #Uranium supplies declined⛏️⤵️ has led to a massive mined supply deficit⏬ estimated earlier this year by industry consultants at ~65M lbs #U3O8 in 2022, partially offset by ~20M lbs of 'Secondary Supply' from other non-mined sources.⛏️.../4👇
Great news from #Ukraine😌 as all 6 reactors at #Zaporizhzhia#Nuclear plant are in cold shutdown -no fission reactions generating heat, no possibility of runaway chain reactions or other extreme events -making any "radiation release" extremely unlikely thanks to Fukushima ../2🧵
2)Fukushima Daiichi #nuclear reactors were 1960's vintage with no steel-reinforced concrete containment. A loss of backup power led to a hydrogen explosion & radiation release. After Fukushima, ZNPP reactors were upgraded to prevent that from ever happening at #Zaporizhzhia .../3
3)#ZaporizhzhiaNPP's "passive" hydrogen safety systems require no external power so that even if all backup power is lost there can be no hydrogen explosion as happened at Fukushima.🦺 ZNPP's steel-hardened containment domes remove the threat of #nuclear radiation "leaks"🌞 ../4
1)On Friday Congress was asked for $1.5 Billion in "emergency" funding for "acquisition and distribution of low-enriched #uranium(LEU) and high-assay LEU(HALEU)"🛒 "to address potential future shortfalls in access to Russian uranium and [#nuclear] fuel services"⚛️⛏️🇷🇺 A 🧵../2👇
2)US #Nuclear utilities send #Russia hundreds of $Millions per year under a "Russian Suspension Agreement" US government extended in 2020 that allows utilities to purchase & import 20% of their enriched #Uranium reactor fuel from Russia (about 10M lbs/yr #U3O8 equivalent)😯../3👇
3)US government wants to stop US #Nuclear industry from funding #Russia's war on #Ukraine but haven't yet banned the import of Russian #uranium because it would halt deliveries of 20% of US reactor fuel already in signed contracts, with alternative sources in short supply. ../4👇
1) While market meltdowns🫠 & #Ukraine war FUD😱 may be raining on #Uranium for now⛈️ a huge Shockwave💥 dubbed 'overfeeding'🍼 is already crashing thru the seemingly calm #Nuclear fuel market.🌀⚛️⛏️ I've created a Tutorial👨🏫🧵 to help prepare U to ride the coming wave.🌊🏄💰👇2
2) #Uranium is a very different fuel than #coal & #gas that are burned "as is" in #electricity power plants.🏭⚡️ #Nuclear reactor fuel needs to be specially processed & then packaged into fuel rods that are then loaded into reactors to generate #CarbonFree electricity.🌞⚛️⚡️👇3
3) Mined #Uranium⛏️ is processed into drums of Yellow Cake #U3O8🛢️ that in the west are shipped🚢🚛 to plants in Canada, US & France for "Conversion" into a gas form called #UF6 which is then shipped in cylinders🚛 to plants in US & Europe for "Enrichment" into reactor fuel.⚛️👇4
In 2017 #Kazakhstan cut its #Uranium production to -20% below max permitted levels for 3 years 2018-2020⚛️⛏️⤵️ extended 3 times since thru 2023.➡️ Yesterday they extended cuts thru 2024 at -10% below max levels↗️ as #U3O8 prices still don't signal a return to full production.🤠🐂
Tho #Kazakhstan says it's intending to begin to raise its #Uranium production 18 months from now in 2024🐌 they warned in their H1/2022 results yesterday that they may not be able to increase production in 2024⚠️ due to "significant challenges" created by global supply chains.🚛
Even if Kazatomprom $KAP & its JV partners can increase production in 2024, it's very unlikely any new supply will go to western utilities.⚠️ #Kazakhstan has a deal with #China to fill a 23,000tU (60 Million lbs #U3O8) #Uranium storage facility by 2026, taking all available lbs🇨🇳