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US not ready to completely abandon Russian uranium — Department of Energy

According to the agency, Russia currently supplies about a quarter of enriched uranium needed to power 94 US nuclear reactors that generate about a fifth of US electricity

NEW YORK, September 16. /TASS/. The United States is moving to phase out Russian enriched uranium though it is not yet ready to give it up completely due to its high dependence on supplies from Russia, Secretary for the US Department of Energy Chris Wright said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Russia currently supplies about a quarter of enriched uranium needed to power 94 US nuclear reactors that generate about a fifth of US electricity, according to the agency. A rapid shutdown of those supplies could threaten an estimated 5% of the country's electricity generation.

The US needs to significantly increase its domestic uranium mining and enrichment capacity to wean itself off Russian supplies, Wright said, adding that the administration of US President Donald Trump also plans to increase its strategic uranium reserve to insure against supply disruptions and support the country's nuclear energy development.