The US Senate has unanimously supported a ban on imports of uranium nuclear fuel from Russia. The bill has been sent to President Joe Biden and will come into force 90 days after it is signed.
According to Bloomberg, the document prohibits the import of uranium from Russia until 2040, but contains certain derogations that are possible until January 2028. If the US Department of Energy does not have other sources of supply, it will be able to issue a separate permit for the import of a certain amount of fuel.
Russia was the main supplier of uranium to the United States, providing about a quarter of the imports needed to operate 90 US reactors. The Kremlin used to earn $1 billion annually from this. The White House called the ban a matter of national security.
Senator John Baraso of Wyoming said the law would help reduce funding for Russia, revive American uranium production and stimulate investment in the nuclear fuel supply system, the Russian-language bureau of Radio Liberty quoted him as saying.
According to Baraso, the state has uranium deposits sufficient to replace uranium from Russia.
America's dangerous dependence on Russian enriched uranium must end. He sees the legislation as an important step to help end Russia's control over the global nuclear fuel supply system, added Idaho Senator Jim Risch.
Last year, Russia earned $1.2 billion from uranium sales to the United States, 43% more than in 2022. Over the course of the year, global uranium prices rose by 70%. Russia is the main exporter of uranium to the United States.