EU’s nuclear fuel breakup with Russia threatened by costs, politics, and supply risks

Financial Times reported the information.

The European Commission is preparing legal steps to phase out Russian fuel, but nuclear energy remains a sticking point. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has paid over €200 billion for fossil fuels, while nuclear imports amounted to just €700 million in 2024. Despite the lower cost, experts warn the risk is high if Russia cuts off uranium supplies.

“Technically speaking the uranium supply chain is very complex,” said Ben McWilliams of the Bruegel think tank. A gradual phaseout would be needed, he added. 

The EU gets up to 25% of its uranium from Russia. Nineteen of the bloc’s 101 reactors are Soviet-designed and rely on Russian parts and expertise. A Commission document warns that replacing Russian nuclear technology would require €241 billion in investment.

The EU aims to end these imports by the 2030s, aligning with moves by the U.S., UK, and Canada. But member states like Hungary and Slovakia oppose the plan. In a joint statement, they warned it would bring “higher and more volatile prices” and threaten energy security.

Hungary is seen as the biggest obstacle. Its Paks nuclear plant, powered by Russian-designed reactors, is set to double capacity using Rosatom technology. “This is the most sensitive issue,” one EU official said.

While Europe seeks alternative uranium sources in Canada, Kazakhstan, and Niger, supply concerns persist, especially after instability in Niger, the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer.

Russia also controls more than half of the global uranium enrichment market. “Rosatom is one of the biggest companies in all sectors of nuclear markets,” said Dmitry Gorchakov of Bellona.

Urenco CEO Boris Schucht said his company is ramping up production but raised concerns about Russia bypassing restrictions via China: “We can already see here and there Russia selling volumes to China and China selling volumes that would not otherwise have been available in the rest of the world.”

The EU is considering trade measures, which need only a weighted majority to pass, unlike sanctions that require unanimous support.

Frédéric Lelièvre of French nuclear firm Framatome stressed urgency: “We need to have these facilities and with the IP [intellectual property] in Europe to make sure we can deploy the programmes we want to deploy and not rely on anybody else.”