Name: 人工智能對核能的需求如何推動美國鈾礦開採的增長 (How AI’s Need For Nuclear Energy Is Fueling A Rise In U.S. Uranium Mining)
Uploaded: 2025-06-18T03:31:51.000Z
Duration: 12 min 46 s

進階被動語態

This is the ore being shipped in from the Pinyon Plain mine.

這是從松林平原礦場運來的礦石。

關係子句

This ore is some of the highest grade uranium ore that's ever come out of the United States mine.

這種礦石是美國礦區出產的品位最高的鈾礦石。

Well, the largest uranium mine comes out of Saskatchewan, comes over to Ontario and then gets enriched down in the U.S.

最大的鈾礦產自薩斯喀徹溫省，然後運到安大略省，再在美國進行濃縮。

Uranium prices soaring more than 75 percent over the past year.

鈾價格在過去一年中飆升了 75% 以上。

While uranium prices have gone down since a high in early 2024, many experts remain confident that demand for uranium, which is mainly used as a fuel for nuclear reactors, is only going to grow.

雖然鈾價從 2024 年初的高點回落，但許多專家仍然相信，對主要用作核反應堆燃料的鈾的需求只會增長。

We see that there's so much demand on nuclear power right now because of its carbon-free attributes, because there's big demand for A.I.

我們看到，由於核能的無碳特性，現在對核能的需求非常大，因為對人工智能的需求也很大。

We don't see any of those factors going away.

我們認為這些因素都不會消失。

Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft are all betting on nuclear energy to power their A.I. data centers.

亞馬遜、谷歌、Meta 和微軟都在利用核能為其人工智能數據中心提供動力。

The industry is also getting a boost from the Trump administration.

特朗普政府也在推動該行業的發展。

Uranium stocks lighting up as President Trump signs a suite of executive orders aimed at expanding the nation's nuclear power infrastructure.

隨著特朗普總統簽署一系列旨在擴大國家核電基礎設施的行政命令，鈾礦股票也隨之上漲。

Trump's executive orders ease the regulatory process around and accelerate the construction of new nuclear power plants in the U.S.

特朗普的行政命令放寬了美國新建核電站的監管程序，並加快了新建核電站的建設速度。

The administration wants to quadruple the nation's nuclear energy capacity from 100 gigawatts in 2024 to 400 gigawatts by 2050.

政府希望將全國的核能發電能力翻兩番，從 2024 年的 100 千兆瓦增至 2050 年的 400 千兆瓦。

U.S. uranium requirements are expected to increase from 47 million pounds to approximately 190 million pounds per year, according to one uranium miner.

據一家鈾礦商稱，美國的鈾需求量預計將從每年 4700 萬磅增至約 1.9 億磅。

Once a leading producer of uranium in the world, U.S. production of the mineral has since fallen off a cliff.

美國曾是世界領先的鈾生產國，但自此之後，這種礦產的產量卻斷崖式下跌。

But as the U.S. looks to become more energy independent and the demand for energy skyrockets, that's changing.

但是，隨著美國希望變得更加能源獨立，以及對能源的需求激增，這種情況正在發生變化。

CNBC spoke to two uranium miners working to restart and ramp up domestic production of the mineral.

CNBC 採訪了兩家致力於重啟和提高國內鈾礦生產的鈾礦商。

We currently are operating three uranium mines here in the United States, but we have several other mines that are at various stages of development.

目前，我們在美國營運著三個鈾礦，但我們還有其他幾個鈾礦正處於不同的開發階段。

But the domestic uranium market faces a number of challenges, from finding a qualified workforce to market instability and opposition from people worried about the impact uranium mining will have on the environment and the health of those living close to its mines.

但是，國內鈾市場面臨著一系列挑戰，從尋找合格的勞動力到市場不穩定，以及擔心鈾礦開採會影響環境和礦區附近居民健康的人們的反對。

The United States was actually the world's leading uranium producer in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

實際上，美國在 20 世紀 50、60、70 和 80 年代曾是世界主要的鈾生產國。

And a lot of this was because it was a government priority and we strategically used government funding and subsidies to support it.

這在很大程度上是因為它是政府的優先事項，我們戰略性地利用政府資金和補貼來支持它。

However, what kind of started happening during the 90s is we saw a deprioritization away from uranium.

然而，90 年代開始出現的情況是，我們看到鈾的優先地位有所下降。

Several high-profile nuclear accidents, including the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, also negatively affected public perception around nuclear energy and tanked uranium prices, leading many domestic uranium producers to shutter their mines.

包括 2011 年日本福島核事故在內的幾起備受矚目的核事故，也對公眾對核能的看法產生了負面影響，並使鈾價格下跌，導致許多國內鈾生產商關閉了鈾礦。

The latest available government data shows that the U.S. government now imports over 95 percent of the uranium feedstock needed to power its 94 nuclear power reactors.

最新的政府數據顯示，美國政府目前進口的鈾原料佔其 94 座核電反應堆所需原料的 95% 以上。

We are the world's biggest nuclear power producer, using about 20 percent of our energy mix comes from nuclear.

我們是世界上最大的核能生產國，我們的能源組合中約有 20% 來自核能。

The difficulty is we've prioritized nuclear but deprioritized uranium, which we need to fuel our nuclear power and is creating an incongruence in our policy.

困難在於，我們把核電放在優先地位，卻把鈾放在次要地位，而我們的核電需要鈾作為燃料，這就造成了我們政策上的不協調。

In order to grasp just how deep U.S. dependence on foreign uranium runs, it's important to understand how the raw mineral is turned into fuel for nuclear reactors.

要想了解美國對外國鈾的依賴程度有多深，就必須瞭解這種原礦是如何變成核反應堆燃料的。

The process is made up of five main steps.

First, uranium is extracted from the ground either through conventional open pit or underground mining or by pumping oxygenated groundwater through the ore body to dissolve the uranium oxide before it's pumped to the surface.

首先，鈾是通過傳統的露天或地下采礦法從地下提取的，或者是通過泵送含氧地下水通過礦體，使氧化鈾溶解後再泵送到地表。

From there, the substance goes to a mill where it's processed into a concentrate known as yellow cake powder, though the finished product is often black or brown in color.

在那裡，這種物質會被加工成一種濃縮物，即黃餅粉，但成品通常呈黑色或棕色。

Next, the yellow cake powder goes to a conversion facility where it's churned into a gas.

接下來，黃餅粉被送往一個轉化設備，在那裡被攪拌成氣體。

That gas is then sent to an enrichment facility.

這些氣體隨後被送往濃縮設施。

The vast majority of nuclear power reactors use the isotope uranium-235 as fuel.

絕大多數核能反應堆使用同位素鈾 235 作為燃料。

But because naturally occurring uranium contains only a low concentration of this isotope, its concentration must be increased in a process known as enrichment.

但是，由於天然鈾只含有低濃度的這種同位素，是以必須通過一種稱為濃縮的過程來提高其濃度。

Finally, the enriched uranium is sent to a fuel fabrication facility where it's chemically processed into uranium dioxide powder and compressed into fuel pellets for use in nuclear reactors.

最後，濃縮鈾被送往燃料製造廠，在那裡經過化學處理成為二氧化鈾粉末，然後壓縮成燃料顆粒，供核反應堆使用。

The United States is highly dependent on other countries for many of these steps.

美國的許多步驟都高度依賴其他國家。

We'll take a look at uranium mining first.

Certainly years ago in the U.S., we produced on the order of 30, 40 million pounds per year.

當然，多年前在美國，我們的年產量約為 3,000 萬至 4,000 萬磅。

Right now, the demand in the U.S. is around 48 million pounds per year.

目前，美國每年的需求量約為 4800 萬磅。

Right now, there is only one conversion plant in the U.S.

After that, the product goes to enrichment.

This is actually where we lose a lot of our leverage.

實際上，這正是我們失去很多籌碼的地方。

Together, China and Russia hold about 60 percent of the world's enrichment capabilities.

中國和俄羅斯共擁有全球約 60% 的鈾濃縮能力。

The enrichment of uranium has always been a national security issue.

鈾濃縮一直是一個國家安全問題。

As highly enriched uranium is also used for nuclear weapons.

Domestic uranium production is making a comeback.

U.S. production of uranium concentrate in 2024 totaled 676,939 pounds, the highest it's been since 2018.

2024 年美國鈾濃縮物的總產量為 676 939 磅，是自 2018 年以來的最高值。

U.S. action to try to reduce our dependence on foreign uranium has been bipartisan.

美國兩黨一直在努力減少對外國鈾的依賴。

President Trump requested $1.5 billion from Congress to revitalize the uranium industry and create a uranium stockpile, arguing that propping up U.S. uranium production in the face of cheaper imports was of critical importance to our energy and national security.

特朗普總統請求國會撥款 15 億美元，用於振興鈾產業和建立鈾儲備，他認為，面對廉價的進口產品，支撐美國的鈾生產對我們的能源和國家安全至關重要。

In 2024, the Biden administration banned the import of Russian uranium.

2024 年，拜登政府禁止進口俄羅斯鈾。

The law also unlocked $2.7 billion in federal funding to expand domestic uranium enrichment and conversion capacity.

該法律還釋放了 27 億美元的聯邦資金，用於擴大國內鈾濃縮和轉化能力。

But that hasn't stopped the U.S. from using Russian uranium.

但這並沒有阻止美國使用俄羅斯的鈾。

We restricted many exports going from Russia to the United States following the invasion of Ukraine.

烏克蘭被入侵後，我們限制了許多從俄羅斯到美國的出口。

The United States actually never stopped buying uranium.

實際上，美國從未停止過購買鈾。

There is a little asterisk next to it that says that if the Department of Energy deems it to be necessary to operate our nuclear power, there's a provision to continue buying it.

旁邊還有一個小星號，表示如果能源部認為有必要運行我們的核電，就會規定繼續購買。

That provision expires at the beginning of 2028.

The fact that uranium was exempt from the wide-ranging tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on April 2nd further demonstrates just how dependent the U.S. is on other countries for this material.

鈾不受特朗普政府 4 月 2 日徵收的大範圍關稅的影響，這進一步表明了美國在這種材料上對其他國家的依賴程度。

Mark Chalmers is hoping his company, Energy Fuels, can help.

馬克-查莫斯希望他的能源燃料公司能夠提供幫助。

Energy Fuels currently operates three uranium mines across Arizona and Utah, as well as the only conventional uranium mill in the United States.

Energy Fuels 公司目前在亞利桑那州和猶他州經營著三個鈾礦，以及美國唯一一家傳統鈾礦廠。

Ore stockpiles, when we're processing, are fed into the mill and then the mill crush and grinds it.

當我們進行加工時，礦石庫存被送入磨機，然後磨機對其進行破碎和研磨。

And then we actually put it into a lead circuit where we go ahead and we solubilize uranium, put it in the solution, and we run it through a number of steps after that and recover the uranium.

然後，我們將其放入一個鉛迴路中，在該回路中，我們對鈾進行溶解，將其放入溶液中，之後再經過一系列步驟，對鈾進行回收。

Energy Fuels sells its final product, known as uranium oxide powder or yellow cake, to utility companies.

能源燃料公司向公用事業公司出售其最終產品，即氧化鈾粉或黃餅。

Energy Fuels has four long-term contracts that run out to the 2030 time period.

能源燃料公司有四份長期合同，合同期至 2030 年。

Right now, though, I want to point out that the long-term price of uranium is $80 a pound and it is greater than the swap price, which I think bodes well for the fact that the utilities are betting on the fact that the price of uranium has to go up.

但現在，我想指出的是，鈾的長期價格是每磅 80 美元，高於掉期價格，我認為這對公用事業公司押注鈾價必須上漲是個好兆頭。

Energy Fuels expects to produce up to 1.4 million pounds of uranium concentrate this year, but hopes to eventually ramp up production to as much as 6 million pounds per year.

Energy Fuels 公司預計今年將生產 140 萬磅鈾精礦，但希望最終能將年產量提高到 600 萬磅。

To get up to 5 or 6 million pounds of uranium per year, you're probably looking at least 5 or 10 years because it takes time to get these projects fully permitted, constructed and operating.

要達到每年 5 或 6 百萬磅鈾的產量，可能至少需要 5 或 10 年的時間，因為這些項目的全面許可、建設和營運都需要時間。

An executive order from President Trump has boosted the ability for the United States to produce some of the critical minerals like uranium, copper and gold to help reduce reliance on imports from other countries.

特朗普總統的一項行政命令提高了美國生產鈾、銅和金等一些關鍵礦產的能力，有助於減少對從其他國家進口的依賴。

In May, the Trump administration greenlit the restart of operations at a southern Utah uranium mine under a new accelerated 14-day environmental review process.

今年 5 月，特朗普政府準許猶他州南部的一個鈾礦在新的 14 天加速環境審查程序下重新開始營運。

I can say honestly that we have never seen this level of support from the federal government than we have in the last few years.

我可以坦率地說，在過去幾年裡，我們從未見過聯邦政府提供如此大力度的支持。

Cash is the CEO of UR Energy, which operates the Lost Creek In-Situ Uranium Mine in Wyoming.

卡什是 UR Energy 公司的首席執行官，該公司在懷俄明州營運著 Lost Creek 原地鈾礦。

The company began mining at Lost Creek in 2013, but paused operations for a few years because of low uranium prices.

該公司於 2013 年開始在 Lost Creek 開採，但由於鈾價低迷，業務暫停了幾年。

Last year, Lost Creek made UR Energy the biggest domestic producer of uranium concentrate.

去年，Lost Creek 使 UR Energy 成為國內最大的鈾精礦生產商。

In 2022, we began to see the market improve.

2022 年，我們開始看到市場好轉。

So the board made the decision, OK, it's time, bring the drill rigs back out, let's start hiring again and let's start moving to production at Lost Creek.

於是，董事會做出決定："好了，是時候了，把鑽機調出來，重新開始招聘，開始在失落溪進行生產。

We also made the decision to build out our Shirley Basin project.

我們還決定建設雪莉盆地項目。

Cash estimates that when the Shirley Basin project is up and running, UR Energy will be able to increase its production of uranium concentrate from 1.2 million pounds to 2.2 million pounds per year.

卡什估計，當雪莉盆地項目投入營運後，UR 能源公司的鈾精礦年產量將從 120 萬磅提高到 220 萬磅。

Like energy fuels, Cash says UR Energy focuses on long-term contracts rather than selling on the spot uranium market.

卡什說，與能源燃料公司一樣，UR 能源公司注重長期合同，而不是在鈾現貨市場上銷售。

Right now, we've got six long-term contracts in place.

現在，我們已經簽訂了六份長期合同。

Our contract book is pretty full until after 2029, 2030.

在 2029 年、2030 年之前，我們的合同都已經籤滿了。

Global demand for uranium is expected to nearly double by 2040 as governments ramp up nuclear power capacity.

隨著各國政府提高核能發電能力，預計到 2040 年全球對鈾的需求將增加近一倍。

With such a high need, experts say keeping up with this demand will prove challenging.

面對如此高的需求量，專家們表示，滿足這一需求將是一項挑戰。

Right now, the uranium miners globally are not keeping up with demand.

目前，全球的鈾礦商都跟不上需求。

It takes years from discovery to the time you produce.

So it's going to take years for that gap to be closed.

是以，要彌合這一差距還需要數年時間。

And all the while, we see tremendous growing demand for nuclear power.

而與此同時，我們看到對核能的需求卻在大幅增長。

It takes about 500,000 pounds of uranium per large-scale reactor, one gigawatt reactor.

每個大型反應堆（一個千兆瓦級反應堆）大約需要 50 萬磅鈾。

So if we get up to 5 or 6 million pounds per year, that's effectively 10 or 12 nuclear reactors in the United States of America.

是以，如果我們每年能達到 500 萬或 600 萬磅，這實際上就是美國的 10 或 12 個核反應堆。

Small modular reactors, which can be built much quicker and cost much less than conventional reactors, can further increase uranium demand.

與傳統反應堆相比，小型模塊化反應堆的建造速度更快，成本更低，可進一步增加鈾需求。

The U.S. has a lot of room to increase its uranium production, but the difficulty is we have less than 1 percent of the world's reserves.

美國在提高鈾產量方面有很大的空間，但困難在於我們的鈾儲量不到世界儲量的 1%。

And when you draw down on uranium, it doesn't replenish.

當你汲取鈾的時候，它不會得到補充。

So in the long term, we're really going to need uranium from other countries.

是以，從長遠來看，我們確實需要其他國家的鈾。

Another challenge facing the U.S. uranium mining industry is finding a trained workforce needed to ramp up production.

美國鈾礦開採業面臨的另一個挑戰是找到提高產量所需的訓練有素的勞動力。

The industry has been on its heels for a number of years.

數年來，該行業一直步履維艱。