United States President Joe Biden signed the Russian Uranium Import Ban Act, which bans the import of unirradiated low-enriched uranium produced in Russia or by a Russian company.
This is stated on the website of the US White House.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan then issued a statement saying the law would first reduce and then eliminate the United Statesʼ reliance on Russia for civilian nuclear power.
"This new law restores Americaʼs leadership in the nuclear sector. This will help preserve our energy sector for future generations. And, building on the unprecedented $2.72 billion in federal funding that Congress recently appropriated at the Presidentʼs request, it will launch new enrichment facilities in the U.S. and send a clear message to industry that we are committed to long-term growth in our nuclear sector," the adviser said.
The law prohibiting the import of Russian uranium will enter into force 90 days after signing and will be in effect until 2040. Some deviations from it are allowed until January 2028. If there are no other sources of supply, the US Department of Energy will be able to issue permits to import enriched uranium from Russia.
Russia supplied nearly 25% of the enriched uranium used by the US to fuel its fleet of more than 90 commercial reactors. This made the Russian Federation the largest foreign supplier. Such sales bring Moscow about a billion dollars a year, but replacing these supplies can be a problem, there is a risk of an increase in the price of enriched uranium by about 20%.
- Earlier, Bloomberg noted that Russia may respond with a unilateral ban on exports if the US bans imports.