The European Union will again increase the purchase of nuclear fuel from the Russian Federation. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the Euratom Supply Agency (ESA).
According to Reuters, the European Union has again increased imports from the Russian Federation of nuclear fuel and services for Russian-built unit reactors. The data compares the year before the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine in 2022 with 2023.
The agency emphasised that such imports are not subject to EU sanctions. At the same time, the total volume of purchases remained stable last year, despite the growing demand for nuclear power caused by high energy costs.
Acting ESA chief Stefano Ciccarello told Reuters that the five EU states operating water-to-water power reactors (WWRs) will exceed the level of nuclear fuel imports from Russia again this year in 2021. According to the European official, this trend highlights the challenges the EU faces in achieving its long-term goal of self-sufficiency in the “product” content for such reactors.
“Imports by countries operating Russian-made VVER reactors increased in 2022 compared to 2021, and they are likely to increase in 2023 compared to the year before the Russian special operation,” Ciccarello said.
For example, last year, five countries – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia – purchased 30 per cent more conversion services and 22 per cent more uranium enrichment services from Russia.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised the attempts of the European Union countries to completely abandon Russian energy carriers, while the entire Western economy is at “ground zero”.