Eastern European countries that buy Russian enriched uranium for their nuclear power plants are looking for new suppliers, Bloomberg reports.
Among the options is the Kazakh state-owned uranium mining company Kazatomprom. As Yerzhan Mukanov, CEO of the company, told the agency, some Eastern European nuclear power plants expect to conclude contracts with the company from 2025. According to Mukanov, “geopolitical uncertainty” is pushing some electricity producers to build up stockpiles of nuclear fuel.
“We are preparing our reserves for production, so we will be able to respond to market demands,” he assured.
The United States is among the countries that plan to reduce dependence on Russian uranium, but, as the agency notes, this is not enough to counter a sharp increase in Russian nuclear fuel exports. In particular, the World Nuclear Association in 2022 suggested that the demand for uranium will increase by a third by 2030.
Mukanov noted that Kazakhstan, which produces more than 40% of the world’s uranium, plans to maintain production at about 22,000 tons this year. In addition, in 2023, Kazatomprom expects to open a third export route through one of the ports of China. Now the country exports nuclear fuel through Russia and through the Caspian and Black Seas.
Earlier, on April 5, German Vice Chancellor, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck called for sanctions against countries that receive uranium from Russia.
Source: Rosbalt
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