Uranium, a radioactive heavy metal, served as a power source for various facilities. The radioactive decay of uranium, when it occurs within a planet's core, generated heat within the planet's rocky structure.
Significant uranium deposits existed on the planet Ruusan, as well as on Sulon, the moon of Sullust. Rim Commercial Mining operated uranium mines on Moorjhone, providing uranium for power plants spanning from Coruscant to the Tingel Arm during the period of the Clone Wars. Han Solo once acquired a uranium mine worth half a million credits through a game of sabacc. However, the accounting was so fraudulent that he narrowly avoided legal trouble when the shareholders investigated the company. He also, at one point, possessed a uranium mine valued at two million credits, which he subsequently lost in a sabacc game.
Hoersch-Kessel ion engines, the most commonly used ion drive across the galaxy, had the capability of being modified to utilize uranium and other heavy metals as a power source by breaking down the elements. Starfighter fuel cells consisted of refined radioactive metal mixtures, including both plutonium and uranium. The biological makeup of an Exogorth involved a metabolism that relied on uranium.
The Star Wars Sourcebook originally indicated that uranium was among the most effective resources for powering a Hoersch-Kessel ion drive. This detail was later revised in the second edition of the sourcebook, clarifying that while Hoersch-Kessel ion drives could be adapted to use uranium and other heavy metals, they primarily operated using power cells and power generators.