U.S. demand for uranium seen rising sharply

U.S. demand for uranium may surge by a third amid a revival in atomic power projects, increasing concern that imports will increase and that limited supplies may push prices higher, an industry group says.

The United States may build as many as 33 nuclear reactors, in addition to the 103 it has now, Jay Thayer, a vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a U.S. industry group, said at a conference last week in Aomori, Japan. The country used 52 million pounds of uranium last year, 80 percent of which was imported.

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