US Senate backs Russian uranium ban — RT World News

The US Senate gave the green light on Tuesday to legislation banning imports of enriched uranium from Russia. The Russian Uranium Import Ban Act was approved unanimously and has now been sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

According to the US Department of Energy, in 2022, Russia supplied 24% of the total enriched uranium shipped to the country, thus becoming the largest importer of biofuel. Although the United States has its own uranium reserves, they are not sufficient to meet demand. Russia represents nearly half of global capacity.

Commenting on this action, Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso said: “Our bipartisan legislation will help defund the Russian war machine, revive American uranium production, and jump-start investments in the American nuclear fuel supply chain.”

The bill establishes a ban on imports of enriched uranium from Russia, allowing temporary exemptions through January 2028. It also frees up $2.7 billion approved in previous legislation to develop the U.S. uranium processing industry.

Bloomberg quoted Jonathan Haines, president of nuclear fuel market research firm UxC, warning that the ban could lead to prices of 20% enriched uranium rising, with the cost of a SWU (industry standard unit of measurement) reaching $200.
The media also said that Moscow could stop all exports to the United States on its own, depriving Washington of a significant portion of the uranium it needs overnight.

The US House of Representatives supported the bill last December, and there is no doubt that Biden will give his approval as well.

In October 2023, the White House called for a long-term ban on imports of enriched uranium from Russia, describing it as a threat. “National security priority” In a fact sheet at the time, the Biden administration said so “Reliance on Russian uranium sources creates a threat to the American economy.”

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