US Senate unanimously supported the adoption of a law banning the import of enriched uranium from Russia.
Russia will not be able to sell its enriched uranium to the US
According to Bloomberg, the document has already been sent to American leader Joe Biden for signature.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that this law will enter into force 90 days after signing.
Some exceptions to the law 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. This law expires at the end of 2040.
What is important to understand is that the aggressor country of the Russian Federation supplied almost 25% of the enriched uranium used as fuel for the US fleet, with more than 90 commercial reactors, making it the number one foreign supplier.
Journalists point out that the sales bring the Kremlin about $1 billion a year, but replacing those supplies could be a problem and risks raising the price of enriched uranium by about 20%.
New sanctions against Russia are a White House's initiative
Joe Biden's team called for a "long-term ban" on Russian imports, which is needed to unlock about $2.7 billion in support for the domestic uranium industry granted by Congress.
Journalists pay attention to this. Official Moscow may respond with a unilateral export ban if the United States bans imports.
The import ban will take some time to affect US nuclear power plant operators. Reactors are typically refueled every 18 to 24 months, and fuel purchases are negotiated in advance. This means that most, but not all, utilities already have enough uranium to keep their reactors running for at least the next few years.
