Russia's grip on Western nuclear energy: Dependence on enriched uranium
Despite the attack on Ukraine, Russia – irrespective of the imposed sanctions – remains an important trade partner for the West. One of the export goods is Russian-enriched uranium, which many countries' nuclear power plants depend upon.
The Kremlin's propaganda outlet, the Russian-language service Swobodnaja Pressa, published an article about the export of Russian uranium. According to the Russians, as much as 60% of France's demand for enriched uranium is met by imports from Russia.
As emphasised by the Russian editorial team, Russia can "shut off French nuclear power plants even tomorrow" (which, of course, is not true).
Russian uranium is also bought by, amongst others, South Korea (34%) and the United States (27%), and these countries trade with Russia despite the imposed sanctions. Although the Russian article has a propagandistic tone, it signals the real problem of the West, which is the necessity of importing enriched uranium from Russia.
This raw material is needed as it serves as fuel for nuclear power plants, which have a significant share in the energy balance of many countries, or – as in the case of France – constitute its foundation.
Uranium production in the West
Meanwhile, the West, mainly due to environmental costs, has for years limited its own production of enriched uranium, with Russia and China becoming the main producers. Only in recent years has there been a change in this regard and a gradual rebuilding of Western capabilities to independently produce enriched uranium.
In April 2024, the United States reported the production of the first, small batch of this raw material, developing its own facility in Ohio. The decision to launch its own, first European centre producing enriched uranium was also announced by the United Kingdom.
Although developing production on a scale adequate to the needs of the West will take time, the process of pushing Russia out of Western markets has already begun.
