MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. The US’ ban on the import of enriched uranium from Russia will throw the global nuclear market off balance and hurt the nuclear industries of the countries behind these decisions, according to a commentary by Rosatom released by the press service of the state corporation.
"Rosatom state corporation is aware of the US Congress’ approval of a bill to ban the import of enriched uranium from Russia. It is obvious that such politically motivated initiatives are destructive for the sustainable functioning of the global market of goods and services of the nuclear fuel cycle and they will eventually negatively influence the situation in nuclear energy in the countries that make such non-market-friendly decisions," the document reads.
The central principle that Rosatom has relied on for decades in supplying enriched uranium to operators of foreign NPPs is that the political environment should not destabilize the market, the commentary said. "This is why observance and fulfillment of contractual obligations, as well as maintenance of partnership relations with our clients remain our priorities in international activities. Our strategy also suggests as wide a geographical diversification of supplies of uranium products to foreign clients interested in cooperation with us as possible," Rosatom stressed.
The state corporation believes that amid the current conditions of global energy shift, dynamic growth of demand for goods and services of the nuclear fuel cycle, international cooperation on mutually beneficial and transparent market conditions and a pragmatic and balanced approach are crucial to advance the nuclear power industry.
The US Senate passed legislation on April 30 that bans uranium imports from Russia. However, in exceptional cases, if there are no alternative uranium sources to keep reactors running in the US or if such purchases meet national interests, the legislation allows continuing purchases until January 2028. The document also calls on the Department of Energy to find and submit alternative options to replace uranium supplies from Russia to the US Congress.