The United States continues to source approximately 20% of its enriched uranium from Russia, according to Assistant Secretary of State Geoffrey Pyatt.
Despite previous concerns and stated goals to reduce reliance, the US remains dependent on Russia for a significant portion of its nuclear fuel supply, with one-fifth originating from Moscow, as confirmed by Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, Geoffrey Pyatt.
The US Department of Energy has previously voiced significant apprehension regarding this reliance, emphasizing the necessity of diminishing and ultimately eliminating it.
“The United States still obtains about 20% of our nuclear fuel from Russia, therefore establishing a non-Russian supply chain for these nuclear fuel materials will require time,” Pyatt acknowledged during a Wednesday event hosted by the Atlantic Council.
Data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates that Russia provided roughly 27% of the enriched uranium acquired by US civilian nuclear reactors in 2023.
Although President Biden banned uranium imports from Russia last year with the signing of The Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, a waiver system permits purchases under specific circumstances until 2028.
Following the ban, the Russian government announced a temporary limit on enriched uranium exports to the US in November.
While the US possesses domestic uranium reserves, production has declined significantly in recent decades. Competition from cheaper foreign producers and environmental concerns have largely curtailed domestic mining and enrichment, as noted by Nuclear Insider.
“Substantial political decisions” regarding nuclear and uranium supply chain investments must be made, Nick Lawson, CEO of Ocean Wall, told the Financial Times (FT). He added that constructing new facilities would necessitate “years” and considerable financial resources.
Washington has allocated billions of dollars to bolster domestic nuclear fuel production. The Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act authorized $2.72 billion in federal funding for US-based uranium enrichment facilities.
Russia holds a pivotal position in the global enriched uranium market, dominating both enrichment capacity and supply. Recent data reveals Russia accounts for approximately 44% of global uranium enrichment capacity, making it the sector’s leading participant.
Enriched uranium prices reached record highs earlier this month, the FT reported, driven by increased interest from tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon, who seek the fuel to power their data centers amidst the competitive generative AI market.