What it is
A gigawatt reactor's annual fuel load is roughly 25 tonnes of enriched uranium — about the volume of a small van, replacing millions of tonnes of coal.
The material bill
Scale it up →Quantities are per GW of capacityindicative range
| Material | Low | High | Unit | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper critical | 1,000 | 2,000 | t | Generator, transformers and plant wiring |
| Nickel critical | 500.0 | 1,500 | t | Steam generators and alloy components |
| Uranium Depends on enrichment level and tails assay; the loaded fuel is far less. | 150.0 | 250.0 | t | Natural uranium needed per year of operation |
| Zirconium critical | 20.00 | 40.00 | t | Cladding tubes and structural grids |
| Boron critical | 5.00 | 20.00 | t | Control rods and coolant chemistry |
| Hafnium critical | 0.5 | 3.00 | t | Control rods |
Indicative range compiled from published technology studies and chemistry; verify against a manufacturer specification before use. Rows marked “trace” contain the material in quantities too small to state usefully as a mass — the constraint there is purity or supplier count, not tonnage.
The alternatives
Substitution is the most underrated force in materials. When a metal gets expensive or politically difficult, engineers design around it — and demand for a whole mine can evaporate.
Alkaline Electrolyser
The century-old design: steel, nickel and potassium hydroxide, with no precious metals at all.
HVDC Transmission Cable
High-voltage direct-current cable, the technology used to move power hundreds of kilometres with low loss.
PEM Electrolyser
Splits water using a polymer membrane, platinum and iridium — fast-responding but catalyst-hungry.
Three-Way Catalytic Converter
The ceramic honeycomb in an exhaust that converts three pollutants at once, coated in platinum-group metals.