U.S. Urgently Needs Domestic Enriched Uranium As Full Russian Ban Nears

InnovationSustainabilityU.S. Urgently Needs Domestic Enriched Uranium As Full Russian Ban NearsByNoël Fletcher,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Noel Fletcher is a reporter covering renewable energy and wildlifeFollow AuthorMay 25, 2026, 09:36pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Two cooling towers of a nuclear power facility in Tennessee.gettyThe Trump administration is hastening measures to spur domestic production of enriched uranium to counteract a full ban on Russian imports that will take effect in 2028.In 2024, President Joe Biden signed into law H.R.1042: Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act. Imports of unirradiated low-enriched uranium and natural uranium produced in the Russian Federation or by a Russian entity are against the law unless the Secretary of Energy grants a waiver. Exceptions can be granted to American companies except under certain circumstances such as a critical support for the nuclear energy fuel supply chain. The waivers stop Jan. 1, 2028.Commercial nuclear power reactors currently provide 20% of the U.S. energy supply each year.The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently discussed the need to curb domestic nuclear power plants’ reliance on imported uranium during a May 7 in a strategic programmatic meeting.Chairman Ho K. Nieh said “the United States depends too heavily on foreign uranium and enrichment, and that has to change.”Andrea Kock, director of the commission’s Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, echoed this sentiment. “The ban on the use of Russian uranium, which the chairman mentioned, goes into full effect in 2028, and has resulted in an urgent need to increase the domestic capacity for enriched uranium.”MORE FOR YOUThe problem is that American nuclear power plants rely on imported uranium concentrate (U3O8) for nearly all of their fuel. This heavy reliance was illustrated...