Russia’s uranium exports give Moscow leverage over U.S. nuclear fuel supply

A ban on Russian low-enriched uranium imports was announced in August 2024, yet the United States retained exemptions for roughly 470 tons annually through 2028, meaning Russian Rosatom still supplies about a quarter of U.S. enrichment services. Decades of reliance on Russian fuel have left domestic capacity weak; Paducah’s plant closed after the Megatons-to-Megawatts program ended, and Urenco’s New Mexico facility now accounts for just 23 percent of U.S. needs.

Federal funding of $900 million to three prospective enrichment firms is unlikely to produce commercial output before the 2030s, according to Lawrence Livermore researchers. With few global players—Rosatom, Urenco, China National Nuclear Corp, and Orano—controlling enrichment, shifting from Russia to China is not a viable solution, and European suppliers face their own cuts in Russian fuel. The Kremlin’s continued shipments, worth about $1 billion annually, serve as a geopolitical bargaining chip as Washington pursues advanced reactors that still rely on Russian-produced LEU.