EIA details 2025 gains in U.S. uranium production — ANS / Nuclear Newswire
Drilling increases: In another finding reported by the EIA, exploration drilling to locate, map, and evaluate underground uranium deposits was also up significantly in 2025 compared with 2024: 1,824 exploratory holes with total footage exceeding 1 million feet in 2025, compared to 1,324 exploratory holes with a total footage of 0.6 million feet in 2024.
Development drilling to measure the size, shape, and grade of uranium deposits totaled 3,708 holes with a total footage of 1.30 million feet in 2025. In 2024, the number of development holes was 2,462, with total footage being 1.26 million feet.
Three foreign nations supplied the majority of the U3O8 purchased in 2025 by U.S. civilian nuclear power plant owners and operators. (Image: Energy Information Administration)
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Uranium Marketing Annual Report
Note: U3O8=triuranium octoxide. Total purchases from foreign countries in 2025 total 43.5 million pounds. Some data are withheld to avoid disclosure of individual company data.
Declining purchases: One statistic that was down last year compared with the year before concerned uranium purchases from foreign and U.S. suppliers by U.S. owners and operators of civilian nuclear power plants. The EIA reports that owners and operators in the United States purchased 46.9 million pounds of U3O8 equivalent in 2025—less than the 55.9 million pounds purchased in 2024.
The top source of foreign-purchased U3O8 equivalent in 2025 was Canada, accounting for 32 percent of deliveries. The next largest foreign sellers of uranium to U.S. operators were Kazakhstan (28 percent) and Australia (15 percent), followed by Uzbekistan, Namibia, Ukraine, and Niger.
U.S.-made material accounted for 7 percent of U3O8 equivalent deliveries to U.S. owners and operators in 2025, representing a slight decrease from the 8 percent of 2024.
Prices higher: The U3O8 equivalent purchases were made last year from domestic and foreign suppliers at a weighted-average price of $58.46 per pound. That price was 11 percent higher than the 2024 weighted-average price of $52.71 per pound.
Additional EIA data on domestic uranium production and related issues, as well as the EIA’s Monthly Energy Review, are available on the EIA’s website.