MOSCOW, May 10. The largest company in the USA in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle, Centrus told the Axios portal that after signing the law banning the import of enriched Russian uranium, it will ask the relevant departments to make exceptions to the ban on the import of this strategic material from the Russian Federation in order to continue its supplies to its customers and ensure the interests of the entire American nuclear industry , her statement said.
The US Senate on April 30 approved a bill (HR 1042) that prohibits the import of uranium from Russia and comes into force 90 days after the adoption of the law. The bill, approved by the US House of Representatives in December, was presented to US President Joe Biden for his signature. At the same time, US legislation includes a provision that allows for exceptions to the ban until 2027, including if such an exception is in the “national interests” of the United States.
“Once the legislation is enacted, we will apply for an exemption from the Secretary of Energy and other relevant government agencies to request permission to continue supplying low-enriched uranium to our customers,” Centrus said in a statement. In turn, company spokeswoman Lindsay Geisler said in an interview with Axios that quickly eliminating the ban on imports of Russian uranium “is critical not only for Centrus, but for the entire US nuclear industry.”
The bill proposes a ban on the import of low-enriched uranium produced in the Russian Federation or by one of the enterprises registered in Russia. Its effect is calculated until 2040. At the same time, the initiative authorizes the US Secretary of Energy, in agreement with the Secretary of State and the head of the Department of Commerce, to lift this ban if other sources of uranium supply are unavailable or if the import of Russian fuel is in the “national interests” of the United States.
Currently in the United States the share of nuclear energy is 20%, the United States can provide itself with fuel by 30%, and uranium supplies from Russia account for about 20%. Rosatom supplies enriched uranium, used as fuel feedstock, to more than 90 commercial reactors in the United States, making it the United States' number one foreign supplier, according to the US Department of Energy.
Prices on the world uranium market have risen sharply after the US announced intentions to abandon uranium supplies from Russia. Rosatom, in turn, has repeatedly emphasized that it fully fulfills all obligations to foreign customers. The political situation should not destabilize the work of the nuclear fuel market, the Russian state corporation indicated.