Russian nuclear power exports soared to record levels as imports by EU countries climbed in last three years

Moscow: Russian nuclear fuel and technology sales soared last year as imports by EU countries climbed to the highest in three years, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing data compiled by the UK’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Russia’s customs records show that in 2022 exports of nuclear fuel and technology in the country’s strategic industry surged by over 20 per cent, RT quoted figures sourced from Russia’s customs as saying. Russia’s state nuclear firm Rosatom provides about one-fifth of the enriched uranium needed for the 92 reactors in the US. In Europe, utilities that generate power for 100 million people rely on the company, the record shows. According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, of the 53 reactors under construction globally as of mid-2022, 20 were being built by Rosatom, 17 of which are outside Russia. Europe has long been Russia’s largest customer of most energy commodities, especially natural gas. “Nuclear energy projects have very long timelines, so it is difficult to draw any definitive conclusions,” a Research Analyst with RUSI’s Proliferation and Nuclear Policy program, Darya Dolzikova quoted by RT as saying. “But the data does point to a prioritization of markets that may be reticent to sanction Russian nuclear energy exports or entities,” she added. Europe’s dependency The Russian nuclear industry is considered essential for the operation of many power plants in Europe and which is why it has so far gone unsanctioned despite Kyiv’s repeated pleas. The figures also show that NATO members including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia which are heavily reliant on nuclear to run power plants, continued to buy nuclear fuel from the sanctioned country last year. The reason for this resistance is dependence. “The European Commission never proposed it because the impact would be stronger for some Eastern member states, that are heavily dependent on Russian infrastructure and technologies, than for Russia itself,” one diplomatic source told Investigate Europe. Hungary, which is among the EU countries opposed to including nuclear fuel in the bloc’s sanctions, has four Russian-built nuclear reactors and is providing aid for another two, to be built by Rosatom. By the time construction is completed, the project will be one of Eastern Europe’s biggest foreign investments, it reported. Russia currently supplies nuclear fuel to India and is building two reactors there scheduled to open in 2025. Rosatom provided more than $375 million worth of fuel for a reactor in China last year, according to data. The country has also invested some 90% of the $13 billion project to build the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.