Uranium Management: Actions to Mitigate Risks to Domestic Supply Chain Could Be Better Planned and Coordinated
Abstract
NNSA has several defense needs for enriched uranium, including low enriched uranium to produce tritium for nuclear weapons. To meet these needs, NNSA relies on commercial sectors of the domestic uranium industry, such as uranium mining or enrichment, which make up a supply chain for unobligated uranium. However, this industry faces commercial viability risks. In April 2020, the President's Nuclear Fuel Working Group released a strategy to mitigate risks to the domestic uranium industry. This working group includes DOE, the Department of Defense, and other agencies. Senate Report 115-262 included a provision that GAO review NNSA's planning for the future supply of unobligated enriched uranium. This report examines (1) risks agencies and others have identified to the unobligated uranium supply chain and agency actions to mitigate those risks, and (2) the extent to which the Nuclear Fuel Working Group's risk mitigation strategy incorporates desirable characteristics of a national strategy. GAO analyzed key NNSA and DOE planning documents and interviewed NNSA and other agency officials and industry representatives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 10, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1153653
Entities
People
- Allison Bawden
- Antoinette Capaccio
- Bridget Grimes
- Cami Pease
- Ellen Fried
- Eric Bachhuber
- Karen Villafana
- Katrina Pekar-carpenter
- Lauren Gomez
- Pamela Davidson
- Sara Sullivan
- Sarah Veale
- Stephen Sanford
- William Hoehn
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office