US President Joe Biden has signed a law banning the import of uranium of Russian origin, the White House press service said.
According to the document published on May 13, the resident of the Oval Office imposed a ban on the import of enriched uranium produced in the Russian Federation or by a Russian company.
Biden's national security aide Jake Sullivan commented on the decision. According to him, the ban will allow the US to eliminate its dependence on Russia in the field of nuclear energy.
Consequences of the decree for the USA
Bloomberg news agency clarified that the ban will come into force 90 days after the signing of the decree. In addition, the document imposes obligations on the US Department of Energy to search for and provide options for replacing uranium supplies from the Russian Federation. This threatens serious costs for the sector.
This step could lead to an increase in costs for nuclear power plants in the United States. There is a risk of retaliatory measures from Russia.
Axious noted that there is a loophole in the law. In particular, it stipulates cases in which the ban can be circumvented.
The law allows reactor operators to continue importing until 2028 if they have no supplier other than Russia.
The Washington Post, in an article on the ban on imports of Russian uranium, quoted Senator John Barrasso.
Russia's stranglehold on uranium supplies to America is coming to an end...Russia has lost one of its cash cows. America is finally starting to restore our nuclear energy security, as well as our energy future.
According to the publication, American companies pay about 1 billion dollars a year for enriched uranium from Rosatom. The US authorities hope to deprive Russia of this income.
However, the US nuclear energy industry is facing serious problems amid a shortage of its own uranium enrichment capacity. The Washington Post pointed out that TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, has postponed the opening of a new nuclear power plant for two years, as it promised not to use Russian uranium. At the same time, it has no other fuel suppliers.
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