Australia could overtake Canada as the world's top uranium exporter, according to Energy Resources of Australia Ltd (ERA) chief executive Chris Salisbury.

"Australia has the largest proven reserves of uranium... [with] 36 per cent of reasonably assured resources," Mr Salisbury said.

Speaking to the Melbourne Mining Club forum on Tuesday, Mr Salisbury said that with Australia's concentration of the nuclear fuel it was poised to profit greatly from future demand.

"World electricity demand is projected to almost double over the period to 2030, from 15 trillion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2005 to 30 trillion kWh in 2030," said Mr Salisbury.

"Most of the increase is expected to occur in developing countries, notably China and India. Total demand from developing countries will exceed that of the OECD by 2030.

"Over the period to 2030, electricity demand in these countries is projected to grow three times as fast as in the OECD, tripling developing country electricity demand by 2030."

With energy security issues potential affecting oil and gas supply, nuclear power is poised to be increasingly important to supplying emerging markets with their energy needs, Mr Salisbury said.

"China has a dozen reactors under construction or about to start construction, with about 25 more planned and a further 86 proposed. India has six reactors under construction and a further 10 planned."

Climate change and increasing fossil fuel prices are other factors driving demand for uranium.

"With growing concern on climate change we could also see a significant shift in demand to the high case or beyond.

"The imposition of high carbon taxes could radically change the competitiveness of nuclear energy and this form of energy, particularly in China, could meet the burgeoning energy demands without further contributions to greenhouse emissions."

According to World Nuclear Association research, base demand is project to be almost 80,000 tonnes by 2010, increasing to almost 100,000 tonnes in 2020. Base demand is projected to top 125,000 tonnes by 2030.

High case demand is projected to be approach 90,000 tonnes by 2010, top 105,000 tonnes by 2020 and climb over 170,000 tonnes by 2030.

Supplying demand

Canada is presently the world's largest supplier of uranium, with 26 per cent of primary supply in 2006. Australia supplied 19 per cent.

But Canada's estimated resource base of 15 per cent of world supply is lower than Australia's 36 per cent, with only three of Australia's various uranium deposits presently in production.

ERA, which has operated the Ranger uranium mine in the Kakadu region for the past 26 years, is the world's fourth largest uranium exporter. Ranger makes up almost 10 per cent of the world's uranium production.

ERA is 68.4 per cent-owned by mining giant Rio Tinto, which is the world's second-largest uranium marketer based on the output of ERA and the Rössing uranium mine in Namibia, which Rio Tinto owns 69 per cent of.

ERA supplied 4,748 tonnes of uranium in 2006, with Rössing supplying 3,617 tonnes.