US government investigates uranium imports from China, fears circumvention of sanctions against Russia

The US government has begun investigating whether China is helping Russia’s nuclear industry. The United States passed legislation at the end of last year that is intended to ban imports of enriched uranium from Russia in the future. It is now concerned, however, that China may export more of its domestic uranium and replace it on its home market with imports from Russia.

Russia’s nuclear industry remained relatively untouched by significant sanctions for a long time after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. That changed to some extent at the end of last year, when the US government decided to restrict imports of Russian uranium into the country. Nuclear power plant operators rely heavily on enriched uranium from Russia. Domestic uranium production has fallen sharply in recent decades and is only now beginning to recover slowly.

The ban on direct imports of Russian uranium into the US has raised new questions. According to Reuters, uranium imports from China have surged since last December, when US lawmakers agreed on the ban. While China exported no enriched uranium to the US between 2020 and 2022, exports jumped to 243 tonnes last year. In May this year, when the US president signed the law, China sent a further nearly 124 tonnes of uranium to the US, according to the news outlet.

Russian uranium can still reach the US market

A spokesperson for the US Department of Energy told Reuters that the department is now “working closely with other relevant agencies to monitor uranium imports from China to ensure the proper implementation of the ban on Russian uranium imports.” The spokesperson said public authorities are monitoring whether China is exporting domestic uranium that would otherwise be used by its nuclear reactors and replacing it with imports from Russia.

Russia is the world’s largest exporter of enriched uranium, with more than 300 tonnes shipped to the US in the first seven months of the year. For now, enriched uranium from Russia can reach the US market under waivers granted on security-of-supply grounds. This will only be possible until 2028, however. Circumvention of the ban on Russian uranium imports could complicate plans to revive domestic uranium production in the US, which is gradually getting back underway.