US nuclear power plants had their best year in history in 2019, producing more than 809 terawatt hours of electricity, said Rita Baranwal from the Department of Energy (DOE). However, the country's ability to produce domestic nuclear fuel is "on the verge of a collapse," she added. Uranium production in the US has been in steady decline since the early 1980s as its nuclear power plant operators have gradually replaced domestic uranium fuel with less expensive imports. About 90% of the fuel used today in US reactors was produced by other countries. The only uranium conversion plant in the US is idle due to poor market conditions. US companies cannot compete with foreign state-owned enterprises (most notably from China and Russia).
