U.S. uranium output surges in 2025 as domestic fuel supply becomes a defense focus

U.S. uranium production more than tripled in 2025, hitting 2.1 million pounds of concentrate, the strongest output since 2017, according to the Energy Information Administration. This growth followed a rise in exploration and development drilling across domestic mines. Nevertheless, American nuclear operators bought 46.9 million pounds of equivalent uranium concentrate in 2025, with merely 7 percent supplied by U.S. sources, leaving the sector heavily dependent on imports from Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia.

Because mined concentrate must be converted and enriched before it can fuel reactors, the United States has struggled to meet national-security enrichment requirements since 2013, a gap highlighted by a Government Accountability Office report. In response, the Department of Energy announced a $2.7 billion investment in early 2026 to boost domestic enrichment capacity. Strengthening this supply chain is deemed critical for the nuclear-powered navy, aircraft carriers and the nation’s weapons program, reducing vulnerability to foreign supply disruptions.