The US is increasing its imports of nuclear fuel from Russia.

According to official statistics cited by Sputnik news agency, Russia resumed supplying uranium to the US in late spring after a temporary suspension in April, with exports totaling 91.1 tons, worth $209.5 million. This is the highest level since March 2023, when $245.9 million worth of enriched uranium was exported to the US.

According to statistics, the US has purchased a record amount of enriched uranium, totaling $987 million. For the first time since July 2015, the purchase was made from all major suppliers.

The US has increased its record imports of Russian nuclear fuel. Photo: Sputnik

The main exporter of uranium to the US in May was China with $323.6 million, after four months without any shipments. This was followed by France with $245.4 million, resuming shipments after a three-month hiatus. Russia entered the top three with $209.5 million. Next were Germany ($96.8 million), the Netherlands ($63.3 million), and the UK ($38 million). There were even smaller supplies from Kazakhstan ($8 million) and Belgium ($2.6 million).

Previously, in December 2023, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to ban imports of Russian uranium for use in the energy sector in an effort to reduce dependence on fuel from Moscow. This was one of the efforts to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

The bill subsequently stalled in the Senate. However, in the same month, the amount of uranium the US purchased from Russia doubled to $193.2 million. As a result, the total value of uranium the US bought from Russia in 2023 increased by 43%, reaching a new record of $1.2 billion.

According to S&P Global's calculations, Russia remains the leading supplier of uranium to the United States in terms of revenue.

The US has its own uranium reserves, but not enough to supply its nuclear power industry. Russia has the world's largest uranium enrichment complex, accounting for nearly half of global capacity.

According to some estimates, it will take the US at least five years of significant investment to break its dependence on imports of enriched uranium from Russia for use as fuel in nuclear reactors.

In 2022, Russia supplied nearly 25% of the enriched uranium used in commercial nuclear reactors in the US (over 90 reactors). The majority of the remainder came from European countries. A portion also came from a British-Dutch-German joint venture called Urenco operating in the US.

In 2023 alone, the US nuclear industry spent more than $800 million to purchase enriched uranium from Rosatom, Russia's state-owned nuclear energy corporation, and its subsidiaries.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/my-tang-cuong-nhap-khau-nhien-lieu-hat-nhan-cua-nga-330559.html