The US is afraid of dependence on Russian uranium
The US Senate has approved a bill to introduce a ban on the import of Russian low-enriched uranium. Currently, the share of Russian supplies in the US nuclear energy industry is about 20%. The document has been sent to President Joe Biden for signature.
The law will come into effect 90 days after it comes into force, and the restriction itself will remain in effect until 2040. However, some derogations are allowed for the transition period until January 2028. In particular, the US Department of Energy will be able to issue import permits in the absence of alternative sources of supply.
According to Bloomberg, in January 2024, the US Nuclear Energy Administration announced that it intended to produce low-enriched uranium together with its allies so as not to depend on Russian supplies. The publication quotes the head of the department, Catherine Huff, according to which joint production is planned to be established with Japan, France, the UK and Canada.
Bloomberg cites data from the US Department of Energy, according to which Russia supplied nearly a quarter of the enriched uranium used to fuel more than 90 U.S. commercial reactors., which makes the Russian Federation the No. 1 foreign supplier of uranium.
These sales bring Russia about a billion dollars a year, but, as the publication notes, “Replenishing these supplies from other sources may be challenging and risks increasing the cost of enriched uranium by approximately 20%.”
The White House has called for a “long-term ban” on Russian imports, which is needed to unlock about $2,7 billion in support for the domestic uranium industry provided by Congress earlier this year, subject to restrictions on imports of Russian uranium. uranium is in place.
“Without these actions, Russia will continue to hold the global uranium market to the detriment of US allies and partners. This is a national security priority because Dependence on Russian uranium sources poses a risk to the US economy and the civilian nuclear industry, which has been further damaged by Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the White House previously said in its advisory.
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