EU drops Russian nuclear fuel ban

The European Commission (EC) is not going to propose measures to limit the European Union’s (EU’s) reliance on Russian nuclear fuel but proposals to ban Russian gas will go ahead, according to EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen. The EC is expected to propose legal measures to end Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.

Previously, the EC had indicated that it planned to propose trade measures targeting enriched uranium imports from Russia and to encourage countries to switch to other suppliers. The Commission also said it intended to propose restricting new supply contracts for Russian uranium and enriched uranium which are co-signed by the Euratom Supply Agency.

“That will also come, but in the first stage, we’ll be focusing on the gas,” Jorgensen a press briefing. “The question about nuclear is, of course, complicated, because we need to be very sure that we are not putting countries in a situation where they do not have the security of supply,” he noted.

In 2023, Russia, which controls over half of the global uranium enrichment market, supplied 38% of the EU’s enriched uranium and 23% of its raw uranium. Russia supplies up to 25% of the EU’s enriched uranium. The EU spent €23bn ($26.6bn) on Russian energy in 2024, including about €1bn on nuclear fuel.

Currently, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia operate 19 Soviet-supplied reactors designed to run on Russian fuel. These include four VVER-1000 reactors in Bulgaria and Czechia and 15 VVER-440 reactors in Czechia, Hungary, Finland and Slovakia.

Since 2022, all except for Hungary have signed contracts with alternative suppliers – Westinghouse and Framatome – but the transition to the new fuel takes time, especially for the VVER-440 reactors.

The strongest opposition to phasing out cooperation with Rosatom comes from Hungary and Slovakia, which warn of potential energy security risks and economic consequences. The EC is considering introducing trade restrictions instead of formal sanctions, in order to bypass the veto powers of the opposing states. However, a total ban on Russian nuclear sector imports in the is not expected before the 2030s and would require estimated investment of around €241bn to develop an independent supply chain.