Depending on Russia

Our advanced reactor economy depends on Russia for fuel. 

Russia supplies 20 percent of the low-enriched uranium needed to run American nuclear plants, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Others say the larger concern may sit with advanced reactor demonstrations expected to come online around 2028 that will require high-assay, low-enriched uranium, or HALEU. That’s because Russia is the only viable commercial supplier globally and other firms are years away from readily providing such fuel, they say.

If Rosatom were ruled out for U.S. and European buyers, von Hippel said, “that might end the surplus situation for the Western companies, and the price of [enrichment services] might go up; they’re very depressed right now.” Enrichment costs, he added, are especially critical for nuclear power plants in states with competitive electricity markets.