The US is investigating a sharp increase in enriched uranium imports from China in late 2023 amid concerns that increased supplies help Moscow circumvent the US ban on importing fuel for power plants from Russia, reported "Reuters", quoted by News.bg.
In December 2023, US House of Representatives lawmakers passed a ban on imports of Russian enriched uranium as part of the country's efforts to prevent President Vladimir Putin from financing Russia's war against Ukraine.
However, the ban allows some Russian imports to continue until 2028 if there are concerns about supplies.
According to data from the International Trade Commission, in September 2023, shipments of enriched uranium from China to the United States jumped to 242,990 kilograms. These imports are significant because from 2020 to 2022, China sent no enriched uranium to the US.
In May 2023, when Joe Biden officially signed the ban, China again sent a large amount of uranium to the US – a total of 123,894 kilograms.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Energy said that they, along with other relevant agencies, are closely monitoring imports from China to ensure proper implementation of the Russian Uranium Import Ban Act.
U.S. officials are monitoring imports from China and other countries to make sure they are not importing Russian uranium as part of a scheme to export material produced in Russia that would otherwise be used in their own reactors, the spokesman explained.< /p>
Russia is the world's largest exporter of enriched uranium, with Russian imports to the U.S. through July 2023 totaling 313,050 kilograms, down 30% from last year.
Any circumvention of the ban could undermine US efforts to end its dependence on Russian nuclear fuel. It could also weaken the Biden administration's efforts to start a domestic uranium supply chain, with the ban allowing about $2.72 billion in public funds to be set aside for that purpose.
According to World Bank data, China's imports of Russian enriched uranium increased sharply in 2022 and 2023. As China builds more reactors that will need steady supplies of uranium, supplies from Russia could also help to export the fuel.
Imports from China are causing concern in the US uranium industry. In June, Centrus, a company developing enriched uranium capacity, called on the US Trade Representative (USTR) to increase the tariff rate on enriched uranium from China from 7.5% to 20%, saying the company's own efforts "could be threatened by the import of enriched uranium from China". The Uranium Producers of America industry group called on the USTR to increase the rate to 50%.
Last week, the USTR finalized tariff increases on some other goods, but not on uranium from China.
Russia did not comment on the ban until 9/11, when Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow should consider curbing exports of uranium and other metals in response to Western sanctions.