The US decided to abandon Russian uranium

РБК: The United States is looking for alternative suppliers of uranium for next-generation reactors instead of Russia, Reuters reports, citing a statement by the US Department of Energy.

It is planned to conclude contracts for a maximum period of ten years for the supply of high-grade low-enriched uranium fuel (HALEU), enriched to 20% - the traditionally used uranium fuel is enriched to 5%. The US Department of Energy will use $500 million for these purposes, and the program may be expanded in the coming years.

The only company selling commercial quantities of HALEU is Techsnabexport (Tenex, a subsidiary of Rosatom). Only one U.S. company has a U.S. license to produce HALEU, Centrus Energy, which is currently producing small amounts of the fuel for demonstration purposes but plans to expand production. European uranium enrichment company Urenco does not have a license to produce HALEU for the United States.

The United States spends about $1 billion a year on nuclear fuel from Russia, said John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The US House of Representatives in December approved a bill to introduce a ban on the import of low-enriched uranium of Russian origin, but the Senate did not make a similar decision.

Russia accounted for 16.5% of the uranium imported into the US in 2020, as well as 23% of the enriched uranium needed to power US commercial nuclear reactors, according to Bloomberg. The US Department of Energy called dependence on Russian exports a “vulnerability” for national and economic security.

Bloomberg, citing sources, reported in December that Russia may introduce a preventive ban on uranium supplies to the United States. Tenex denied this information and assured that it has always fulfilled and will continue to fulfill all contractual obligations.