US Seeks to Build Up Enriched Uranium Supply to End Reliance on Russia

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russia remains the global leader in the atomic energy industry, despite unprecedented pressure under global sanctions that ended up backfiring at their most ardent proponents.

The US Department of Energy is seeking bids from companies to help establish a reliable domestic supply of highly-enriched uranium for advanced nuclear reactors.

The US remains vulnerable when it comes to Russian-enriched fuel, required for new-generation NPPs to be fully operational.

"In support of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, today the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for uranium enrichment services to help establish a reliable domestic supply of fuels using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU)," the DoE said in a press release.

HALEU is the crucial material needed to run advanced nuclear reactors. At the moment, HALEU is not commercially available from domestic US-based suppliers, and Russia remains the world’s only commercial producer of this type of fuel.

"The existing U.S. fleet of reactors runs on uranium fuel that is enriched up to five percent with uranium-235—the main fissile isotope that produces energy during a chain reaction," the press release explained.

"However, most U.S. advanced reactors require HALEU, which is enriched between 5% to 20%, to achieve smaller and more versatile designs with the highest standards of safety, security, and nonproliferation."

The DoE’s Office of Nuclear Energy intends to award one or more contracts to produce HALEU, the release also read.

"Under the HALEU enrichment contracts, which have a maximum duration of 10 years, the government assures each contractor a minimum order value of $2 million, to be fulfilled over the term of the contract," the release said. "Enrichment and storage activities must occur in the continental United States and comply with the National Environmental Policy Act."

The department added that it is also cooperating with like-minded nations to "establish a resilient uranium supply market that is free from Russian influence."

According to the release, tender proposals are expected to be submitted by March 8, 2024.

An earlier Sputnik assessment of the available data for the global nuclear industry suggested that in October 2023, the US tripled its purchases of Russian uranium to 43.25 tons, paying $62.8 million. This was the largest US purchase since June 2023, with Russia becoming second-biggest uranium supplier to the US after Britain. Russia supplies fuel for 50 percent of the world’s reactors. The overall Russia share of the uranium imported to the US is over 30 percent.