The US Senate unanimously supported a bill banning the import of enriched uranium from Russia

The US Senate unanimously supported a bill banning the import of enriched uranium from Russia, sending it to President Joe Biden for signature. This important initiative was a reaction to the high level of dependence of American nuclear power plants on Russian supplies.

According to a Bloomberg report, the law provides for an immediate ban on imports of Russian uranium to the United States within 90 days of its entry into force. However, the document provides for the possibility of temporary exceptions until January 2028.

This bill already had support in the House of Representatives back in December 2023. According to the US Department of Energy, the country receives about a quarter of the enriched uranium from Russia, which is used as fuel for 90 nuclear reactors. That's roughly $1 billion annually.

However, according to the publication, replacing these supplies may prove to be a challenge for the American market and cause an increase in the prices of enriched uranium by about 20%.

It is worth noting that the import ban will take some time to affect US nuclear power plants. The government believes the reactors have enough uranium to continue operating for the next several years.

Senator John Barrasso, who championed the legislation in the Senate, sees it as a major victory. He believes that this law will help free Russia from influence on American uranium production and will promote investment in the national supply chain of nuclear fuel.

The legislation provides that the Department of Energy can grant exemptions for the full volume of Russian uranium imports, subject to limits set until 2027. However, Bloomberg notes that this action could lead to a unilateral export ban by Russia, which would stop supplies of uranium from the Russian Federation to the United States.