Most of us do not think about the energy we use to get energy. This area of study that comes in different guises is commonly know as net energy analysis. This becomes important when energy production systems consume almost as much or even more than they ever produce. High latitude solar and temperate latitude biofuels being good examples where the net energy, i.e. the energy available to us, approaches zero (energy return over invested: ERoEI~1). Mandates, targets and laws are effectively squandering resources. In this post I take a look at the energy balance of uranium mining in Namibia. The ERoEI is dependent upon the reactor technology used. Light water reactors indicate the ERoEI for uranium mining to be >>300-400 and in a fast neutron reactor >17,380. These numbers compare with conventional oil ~ 20 and oil sands ~ 3.
The ERoEI of Mining Uranium
