US increases imports of Russian nuclear fuel

Sputnik news agency, citing official statistics, said that in late spring, Russia resumed uranium supplies to the US after a pause in April, with exports amounting to 91.1 tonnes, 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 enriched uranium for a record amount up to 987 million USD. 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

China was the main exporter of uranium to the US in May, with $323.6 million, up from zero shipments in the previous four months. France was next with $245.4 million, resuming deliveries after a three-month pause. Russia rounded out the top three with $209.5 million, followed by Germany ($96.8 million), the Netherlands ($63.3 million), the UK ($38 million). There were even small supplies from Kazakhstan ($8 million) and Belgium ($2.6 million).

Earlier, in December 2023, the US House of Representatives agreed on a bill to ban the import of Russian uranium for use in the energy industry in an effort to reduce fuel dependence from Moscow. This is one of the efforts to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

The bill later stalled in the Senate. However, in the same month, the amount of uranium the US bought 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 calculations, Russia remains the leading supplier of uranium to the US 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.

By some estimates, it will take at least five years of major investment for the United States to break its dependence on imports of Russian enriched uranium used to fuel nuclear reactors.

In 2022, Russia supplied nearly 25% of the enriched uranium used in commercial nuclear reactors in the United States (more than 90). Most of the rest came from European countries. Some also came from an Anglo-Dutch-German joint venture called Urenco operating in the United States.

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

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