Mining, production, shipments, and sales

U.S. uranium mines produced 677,000 pounds of triuranium octoxide (U₃O₈), or uranium concentrate, in 2024, a significant increase from the 50,000 pounds produced in 2023. The production of U₃O₈ is the first step in the nuclear fuel production process, preceding the conversion of U₃O₈ into uranium hexafluoride (UF₆ ) to enable uranium enrichment, then fuel pellet fabrication, and finally fuel assembly fabrication.

Drilling and exploration

Exploration drilling during 2024 included 1,324 holes with total footage of 613,000 feet, up considerably from the 877 holes with total footage of 512,000 feet drilled in 2023. Development drilling totaled 2,462 holes with total footage of 1,260,000 feet, up from 2023 development drilling of 1,053 holes and 556,000 feet. Exploration and development drilling activities in 2023 were at the highest levels since 2013 for number of holes drilled and for total footage drilled.

Facility status (mills, heap leach plants, and in-situ recovery plants)

At the end of 2024, the Shootaring Canyon Uranium Mill in Utah and the Sweetwater Uranium Project in Wyoming were on standby with a total capacity of 3,750 short tons of material per day. In Utah, the White Mesa Mill began processing using an alternative feed. In Wyoming, the Sheep Mountain heap leach facility reached a partial permitting and licensed stage.

At the end of 2024, in-situ recovery (ISR) facilities Alta Mesa Project, Rosita Project, Lost Creek Project, the Smith Ranch-Highland Operation, Ross Central Processing Project, and Willow Creek Project were operating with a combined capacity of 14.1 million pounds U₃O₈ per year up significantly from the industry-wide ISR capacity of 7.5 million pounds in 2023. Four in-situ recovery plants were on standby as of the end of 2024 with a combined annual production capacity of 7.8 million pounds U₃O₈. Seven in-situ recovery plants were planned for three states—South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming—with a combined annual production capacity of 11.4 million pounds U₃O₈.

Employment and expenditures

Total employment in the U.S. uranium production industry was 506 full-time person-years (one person-year is equal to full-time employment for one person) in 2024, a 49% increase from the 340 full-time person-years in 2023 and the highest employment total since 2016.

Expenditures for land, exploration, drilling, production, and reclamation totaled $160 million in 2024, up from $107.4 million in 2023 and the highest total expenditures since 2016.