In the news today…
Uranium:
- Politico Pro reports President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Department of Energy’s nuclear energy office agreed with calls from both sides of the aisle on Thursday that the U.S. should establish its own domestic uranium supply chain and cut off uranium imports from Russia as soon as possible.
- Barron’s reports uranium prices have gained about 40% since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, touching levels the market hasn’t seen in more than a decade—even though the war has little immediate impact on global supplies of the fuel used to generate nuclear energy.
- E&E Energywire reports lawmakers on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee floated a potential ban on Russian uranium, and ways to fill that large supply gap, during a confirmation hearing for the Department of Energy’s top nuclear energy post.
Minerals:
- The New York Times reports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken the global market for nickel just as the metal gains importance as an ingredient in electric car batteries, raising fears that high prices could slow the transition away from fossil fuels.
Coal:
- World Coal reports according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2021, coal exports from the US increased by 23% to 85 million short t from 69 million short t in 2020.