Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Disasters.The series of steps involved in supplying fuel for nuclear power reactors include the following: (1) Uranium recovery to extract (or mine) uranium ore, and concentrate (or mill) the ore to produce "yellowcake". (2) Conversion of yellowcake into uranium hexafluoride (UF₆). (3) Enrichment to increase the concentration of uranium-235 (U-235) in UF₆. (4) Deconversion to reduce the hazards associated with the depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6), or "tailings," produced in earlier stages of the fuel cycle. (5) Fuel fabrication to convert enriched UF₆ into fuel for nuclear reactors. (6) Use of the fuel in reactors (nuclear power, research, or naval propulsion). (7) Interim storage of spent nuclear fuel. (8) Reprocessing of high-level waste to recover the fissionable material remaining in the spent fuel (currently not done in the United States). (9) Final disposition (disposal) of high-level waste The NRC regulates these processes, as well as the fabrication of mixed oxide nuclear fuel, which is a combination of uranium and plutonium oxides. For additional detail, see Fuel Cycle Facilities