The extinction of silver as an element on the periodic table is a concerning prospect that merits serious consideration.
Silver is indeed at risk of disappearing entirely and its availability for industrial and technological applications are becoming severely limited in the upcoming weeks and months.
The absence of significant new silver discoveries in the past decade is particularly alarming
The lack of silver mining success comes at a time when Silver demand is rapidly increasing across multiple sectors.
The metal’s unique properties make it indispensable for conductivity, reflectivity, and anti-corrosion applications in industries ranging from electronics to renewable energy
The rise of electric vehicles, aerospace, military, AI data centers, 5G networks, and solar power installations is driving unprecedented demand for silver
Each of these technologies requires substantial amounts of the metal. For instance, a single solar farm can consume hundreds of thousands of ounces of silver.
Every gigawatt of solar uses 700,000 ounces of silver
Silver goes Nuclear
Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) commonly use silver-indium-cadmium (Ag-In-Cd or AIC) alloy control rods for neutron absorption. Here are the key details about the use of this alloy in PWRs:
The typical composition of the Ag-In-Cd alloy used in PWR control rods is:
- Silver (Ag): 80%
- Indium (In): 15%
- Cadmium (Cd): 5%
This composition is chosen for its excellent neutron absorption properties
The Ag-In-Cd alloy offers several benefits for use in PWR control rods:
- High neutron absorption cross-section
- Good mechanical properties
- Resistance to radiation-induced swelling
- Compatibility with reactor materials
While the exact amount of Ag-In-Cd alloy used can vary depending on the specific reactor design, a typical PWR would use between 2000 to 5000 kg of the alloy in its control rods. The majority of this mass (about 80%) would be silver, amounting to approximately 1600 to 4000 kg of silver per reactor
Westinghouse Nuclear Energy delivers power by the truckload
Many of you all know I live in Pittsburgh
Westinghouse Electric Company, headquartered in Cranberry Township, (a suburb of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania,) is developing two innovative nuclear power solutions for rural settings.
The first is the eVinci microreactor, a small modular reactor designed for remote locations. This compact unit can be transported on a truck and provides reliable, carbon-free energy for various applications
Major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are increasingly exploring nuclear power options to meet the growing energy demands of their AI data centers. These companies are attracted to nuclear energy’s reliability and potential for carbon-free power generation.
As AI technologies continue to advance and become more prevalent, the number of data centers is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. Industry analysts project that the global data center market could see a compound annual growth rate of 10-15% through 2030, potentially resulting in thousands of new facilities.
Updated Silver numbers if Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, OpenAI and the Trillions of Dollars rushing towards AI get their wish.
The Same Investment Strategy Fueling Nvidia BOOM applies in our Forecasting.
This rapid expansion, coupled with the push for sustainable energy sources, could lead to a surge in demand for small modular reactors (SMRs) and other advanced nuclear technologies.
The increasing interest in nuclear power for data centers, combined with the existing demand from traditional nuclear plants, could put significant pressure on silver stockpiles.
Silver’s unique properties make it essential in both nuclear reactor control rods and various components of data center infrastructure.
As these industries expand, the demand for silver is likely to outpace current production levels, potentially leading to a scenario where global silver stockpiles begin to deplete rapidly.
This growing industrial demand, coupled with silver’s role in renewable energy technologies and electronics, suggests that the precious metal may face supply constraints in the coming months will drive up prices and increasing its strategic importance in the global economy.
FACT: The nuclear industry relies heavily on silver, with each reactor using up to 4,000 kg in its control rods
Compounding the supply challenge is the declining ore grade of existing silver mines. As easily accessible deposits are depleted, extracting silver becomes increasingly difficult and expensive.
This trend will accelerate the depletion of economically viable silver reserves.
The geopolitical landscape adds another layer of complexity to the silver supply issue.
Mexico, a major silver producer, is considering nationalizing its silver resources (just like it already did oil, lithium and electric utilities) – We have a report tomorrow showing new notes from the MORENA party indicating they on what they are calling the second floor of their 4th transformation, and that the third and fourth floor are Mexico’s final steps to kick out investors from Canada and USA.
This move will significantly disrupt global silver markets and further constrain supply.
The acute scarcity of silver highlights:
- Silver recycling is now
impossibleunfeasible because of the cost of labor and existing methodologies. - the urgent need for new investment
- There are less than *4 pure silver companies on the stock market
- We endorse 3 of them
- We will continue to fact check this and update this article.
sources:
https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0737357A1/en
https://www.antinternational.com/docs/samples/FM/11/CATH_FMTR3_sample1.pdf
https://www.science.gov/topicpages/s/silver-indium-cadmium+control+rods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_rod
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1135/ML113500368.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149197009001589
https://jopss.jaea.go.jp/pdfdata/JAERI-M-89-150.pdf
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4811673
https://www.voanews.com/a/tech-firms-increasingly-look-to-nuclear-power-for-data-center/7823925.html
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5161411/tech-companies-look-to-renewable-energy-to-power-ai
https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/nuclear-power-artificial-intelligence-tech-bb673012
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-google-microsoft-openai-big-tech-investment-nuclear-ai-race-2024-10
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/ai-power-expanding-data-center-capacity-to-meet-growing-demand
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/business/energy-environment/amazon-google-microsoft-nuclear-energy.html
https://apnews.com/article/climate-data-centers-amazon-google-nuclear-energy-e404d52241f965e056a7c53e88abc91a
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/15/big-tech-turns-to-nuclear-energy-to-fuel-power-intensive-ai-ambitions.html
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*This report does not count Mexico because of previous reports of their pending jurisdictional risk
Our opinions are not our sponsor’s opinions.
The views expressed on TheSilverIndustry.substack.com are not necessarily those of the Silver Academy.
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