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Lithium-7, NCCP Novosibirsk
Novossibirsk, Russia55.03°N 82.92°E
computed criticality18/100
reading
≈80% of world Li-7 supply; production limited to Russia and China
2024Fault line
An obscure but indispensable isotope: without lithium-7 hydroxide to control the pH of the primary circuit, Western PWRs do not run. Only Russia and China produce it, a legacy of military tritium programmes. The GAO has been warning since 2013; the 65 American PWRs live on stockpiles and two geopolitically adversarial suppliers.
Actors
NCCP / TVEL (Novosibirsk)
Chinese producers (marginal)
Feeds 1
Western PWR fleet, United States & EuropeNuclear↗Sources