Russia and China are using nuclear energy to expand their influence, while the US is lagging far behind them. This is according to Hamna Tariq, a research fellow at the Energy for Growth Hub, in an article for The National Interest.
South Asia is rushing to meet the growing demand for electricity , which is projected to triple by 2050. China and Russia are benefiting from this.
The author emphasized that Rosatom is implementing several large projects in the region. These include the construction of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in India and the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh.
These are not just energy projects, but long-term partnerships that bind South Asian countries to Russian technology, financing, and fuel.
According to Tariq, the US has a technological advantage but lags behind its competitors due to internal problems. These include difficulties with logistics, training energy industry employees, and coordinating documentation for nuclear facilities.
The US cannot be competitive without fuel. As of 2023, 73% of the enriched uranium used in American reactors came from abroad. Of these, 23% came from Russia, which controls about 44% of the world's uranium enrichment capacity. And the US operates only one enrichment plant, covering a third of the country's nuclear fuel needs.
South Asian countries that sign nuclear agreements with Russia are not just getting reactors. They are guaranteed fuel for decades. Russia supplied enriched uranium to Bangladesh in 2023.
Therefore, without a regular supply of fuel, American nuclear exports remain incomplete and uncompetitive.
The Russian "Build-Own-Operate" model (a public-private partnership scheme where a private investor builds, owns, and operates an infrastructure facility) can make countries dependent on its technologies and services.
The expert emphasized that Russia and China are now "setting the rules" in nuclear energy. Therefore, the US must act quickly to avoid losing its leadership in clean energy.
