In 1999-2000 Australia exported 8,023 tonnes of U₃O₈
(uranium ore concentrates). This
quantity of uranium is sufficient for the annual fuel requirements of about 40
reactors (of 1000 MWe), producing around 300 billion kilowatt hours (i.e. 300
terawatt hoursTWh) of electricityone and a half times Australias own electricity
production, which in 1999 totalled about 200 TWh.

Australia holds over a
quarter of the worlds uranium resources recoverable at less than
$US80/kg. In 1999 the Ranger and
Olympic Dam mines were respectively the worlds second and third largest
uranium producers, and overall Australia was the worlds third largest uranium
exporter.

While Australia
recognises the importance of this substantial uranium holding as a source of
energy for other countries not as well endowed with natural resources, strong
support for the nuclear non-proliferation regime has always been a paramount
consideration.

Australia exports
uranium only to countries with which it has a bilateral safeguards
agreementdetails of these agreements and the conditions under which Australia
exports uranium are given in the following pages.

Australia
has 15 bilateral agreements covering 25 countries. These agreements are listed in Table 10 on page 88. Those countries which imported Australian
uranium in 1999 are listed in Table 9.

These figures are for
calendar year 1999 and do not correspond exactly to exports for the 1999-2000
financial year.

As
at the end of 1999 there were 433 power reactors in operation in over 30
countries, with a total electrical generating capacity of around 350 GWe, and
an electrical output of 2,400 TWh.
These reactors produced 16% of the worlds electricity (details are on
page 83). Of these, 340 reactors
were operated by countries eligible to use Australian uranium. The reactors in these countries produced 13%
of total world electricity: nuclear energys contribution to electricity
production in countries using Australian uranium ranged from 12.4% in Canada to
75% in France.

In
1999, exports of Australian uranium represented over 11% of the total carbon
dioxide emissions avoided world-wide through generating electricity by nuclear
energy rather than fossil fuels.
Countries using Australian uranium thereby avoided carbon dioxide
emissions, relative to coal, equivalent to around two thirds of Australias
total carbon dioxide emissions (from all sources).

Return to the ASNO Annual
Report Index | Safeguards on Australian Uranium Exports