US nuclear industry presses White House on Russian uranium imports: report

The U.S. nuclear power industry is reportedly lobbying for the White House to permit uranium imports from Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that cheap supplies of fuel were essential to keeping U.S. electricity prices low amid the continued conflict in Ukraine. 

While many Western nations, including the U.S, have imposed sanctions against Russia as a result of the invasion, uranium sales and related financial transactions are exempt from those restrictions. 

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), which is a trade group of American nuclear power companies like Duke Energy Corp. and Exelon Corp., is pushing for the White House to maintain those exemptions, Reuters reported.

“Currently, conversion and enrichment capabilities in the U.S. do not fully meet the needs of our fleet of reactors and U.S. companies import from many countries,” Nima Ashkeboussi, the NEI’s senior director of fuel and radiation safety, said in a statement to The Hill.

He added that “NEI supports enhancing the development of domestic fuel supply chain capabilities.”

A White House official said the administration was “listening to all inquiries from industry and will continue to do so as we take measures to hold Russia accountable,” Reuters noted.

Roughly half of the uranium powering U.S. nuclear plants comes from Russia and its allies Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Those plants produce about 20 percent of U.S. electricity, according to the news service.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. 

This story was updated at 12:27 p.m.