The U.S. has doubled its uranium purchases from Russia to the highest level since 2005
In the first half of the year, the U.S. bought 416 tons of uranium from Russia, which is 2.2 times more than in the same period last year and the highest level since 2005, according to calculations based on data from the U.S. Statistical Service.
Russia supplies the United States only with fuel enriched in uranium-235, which is the main item of the country’s “radioactive” imports. The analysis also took into account data on imports of natural and depleted uranium, which the U.S. buys from other countries.
According to the agency’s calculations, in the first six months of this year, the U.S. increased its uranium purchases from Russia by 2.2 times – up to 416 tons of uranium from 188 tons in the same period last year. The last time such values were recorded was in 2005, when the U.S. imported 418 tons of fuel from Russia.
The U.S. paid $696.5 million for imported Russian uranium, the highest value since 2002 – there are no earlier statistics by month. Over the year, the value of shipments increased 2.5 times and the share rose by 13 percentage points to 32%.
The U.S. also significantly increased its uranium purchases from Britain, up 28% to $383.1 million, resulting in it accounting for just under 18% of all imports. The most significant increase in shipments came from France, which imported $319 million worth of fuel (15% of all imports) into the U.S. market, up from $1.9 million a year earlier.
The top five suppliers also included Germany (13% of imports), which increased its supplies by 1.5% to $277 million, and Canada (11% of imports), which doubled its supplies to $247.5 million. The latter is the only major source of natural uranium for the US. At the same time, the Netherlands, which ranked second last year, halved its shipments to 193 million dollars, dropping to sixth position.