US reactors are at risk of shutting down without enriched uranium from Russia
US reactors are at risk of shutting down without enriched uranium from Russia..
Matt Bowen and Paul Dabar, colleagues at Columbia University’s Center for Global Energy Policy, stated in an article for The Hill. US facilities could face reactor shutdowns if Russian supplies of enriched uranium were cut off.
They noted that nuclear power accounts for more than 20% of generating capacity in parts of the United States. If the export of Russian enriched uranium stops, electricity prices could exceed current inflation rates.
The article notes that most of the reactors operating in the United States and the European Union are made by Russia, which supplies them with the components, and if the conflict between Moscow and the West continues, many nuclear power plants will have to stop working.
The article says that in such a situation in the regions there may be a lack of consumer demand capabilities.
To prevent this, Bowen and Dubbar say the US conversion plant must reopen, and private companies should explore strategies to expand production and technology to replace Russian supplies.
