Russia places 'tit-for-tat' ban on US uranium exports

Monday, 18 November 2024

The Russian government announced the ban on its official website on 15 November as an amendment to Government Decree No 313 of 9 March 2022. It covers exports "to the United States or under foreign trade contracts concluded with persons registered in the jurisdiction of the United States". Exemptions will be made for deliveries under one-off licences issued by the Russian Federal Service for Technical and Export Control.

"The decision was made on the instructions of the President in response to the restriction imposed by the United States for 2024-2027, and from 2028 - a ban on the import of Russian uranium products," the Russian government said. "Vladimir Putin instructed to analyse the possibility of restricting supplies to foreign markets of strategic raw materials in September at a meeting with the Government."

According to the Tass news agency, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said the ban was legal and the expected "tit-for-tat response to actions of the US authorities". Deliveries of Russian uranium to countries other than the USA "will continue without changes, on conditions agreed with customers and subject to requirements of national laws", Rosatom said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Tass that "in cases where it serves our interests, Russia’s Federal Service for Technical and Export Control may decide to exclude certain items from this list of bans", but said the government had assessed the implications and consequences of the "absolutely reciprocal" countermeasures. "But the key point is that this should fully align with our interests and not undermine them. That is the basis for what has been done," he said.

US President Joe Biden signed the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act in May after the bill was passed unanimously by the US Senate. The prohibition came into effect in August, and will last until the end of 2040. Waivers may be granted to allow the import of limited amounts of Russian-origin LEU, under certain circumstances, until 1 January 2028.

US enrichment company Centrus received such a waiver from the US Department of Energy in July, allowing it to import low-enriched uranium from Russia for delivery to US customers in 2024 and 2025. Tenex - a Russian government-owned company - is Centrus' largest supplier of low-enriched uranium for delivery to its US and international customers pursuant to a 2011 contract.

Tenex has now notified Centrus that its general licence to export the material to the USA has been rescinded under the decree, "effective through December 31, 2025", and that it is now required to obtain a specific export licence from the Russian authorities for each of its remaining 2024 shipments to Centrus and for shipments in 2025.

"Tenex has informed Centrus of its plan to seek the necessary export licences, in a timely manner, to allow it to meet its delivery obligations for the pending Centrus orders," Centrus said in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The US company said it will be in communication with its customers whose pending orders may be affected and is assessing actions to mitigate adverse impacts.

"If TENEX is unable to secure export licences for our pending or future orders, it would affect our ability to meet our delivery obligations to our customers and would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and competitive position," the company said.

According to US Energy Information Administration data, owners and operators of US nuclear power plants purchased a total of 51.6 million pounds U3O8 (19,848 tU) of deliveries from domestic and foreign suppliers in 2023. Most of this came from Canada (27% of total deliveries), Australia (22%) and Kazakhstan (22%): Russian-origin material accounted for 12% of total deliveries. Domestically produced material accounted for 5%. But while US facilities provided 28% of the uranium enrichment services - measured in separative work units, or SWU - purchased by US owners and operators in 2023, 27% came from Russia, more than any other foreign supplier.