US prepares for Russian uranium embargo, Bloomberg reports

Bloomberg reports on the potential move.

White House National Security Council officials, along with the Department of Energy and other agencies, are in talks to restrict Russian uranium imports, including considering an outright ban. No decisions have been reached yet.

Both the administration and the nuclear industry prefer Congress to address the issue, as changing legislation is more challenging than executive actions, according to sources.

"We continue to urge Congress to take that step, which would provide assurance to industry, allies, and partners that the US has made a clear decision to establish a secure nuclear fuel supply chain, independent of adversarial influence, for decades to come," stated the National Security Council.

According to the Energy Department, Russia supplies nearly a quarter of the enriched uranium used in over 90 US commercial reactors, making it the leading foreign supplier.

These sales generate about $1 billion annually for Russia, and the White House has expressed concerns that reliance on Russian uranium poses an economic risk to the US. However, replacing this stockpile could be problematic and increase the cost of enriched uranium by up to 20%, as reported by Bloomberg.

• On June 28, Ukraine discussed with a British company further reducing the world's dependence on nuclear fuel from Russia. 
• On September 26, it was reported that transitioning from Russian to American Westinghouse nuclear fuel would ensure sufficient electricity generation at Ukraine's nuclear power plants.
• On December 12, reports emerged that the House of Representatives had voted to limit the import of enriched uranium from Russia to the United States. 
• The US Department of Energy plans to ramp up low-enriched uranium production to reduce dependence on Russia.