The U.S. Relies on Russian-Enriched Uranium for Power and Navy
For decades, the U.S. has been quietly powering its grid and even its Navy thanks to uranium enriched in Russia. Yep, since 1993, billions of American dollars have gone straight to Moscow’s state-run nuclear energy company. That enriched uranium currently helps keep 54 U.S. nuclear plants running, which generate about 20% of the nation’s electricity.
Sanctions on Russia Leave Uranium Untouched
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Biden administration hit Moscow with sanctions freezing assets, seizing oligarchs’ yachts, and banning coal and oil imports. But here’s the catch: uranium was left untouched. Why? Because America had become heavily dependent on Russian nuclear fuel.
U.S. Moves to End Russian Uranium Imports by 2028
It wasn’t until 2024 and two years later, that the White House announced a ban on Russian uranium imports. Even then, it won’t kick in until 2028. That’s how deeply the U.S. is hooked. So now the scramble is on. Washington is throwing money at the private sector to bring enrichment, turning raw uranium into reactor-ready fuel back to American soil.
General Matter and the Push for Domestic Uranium Enrichment
In May 2024, the Biden administration opened up $3.4 billion in contracts to companies that could build domestic capability. By October, four winners were announced, and one name stood out: General Matter, a start-up that just cut the ribbon on America’s first new enrichment facility in decades, in Paducah, Kentucky.
Can America Regain Its Nuclear Leadership?
General Matter’s pitch is bold but simple: America needs to reclaim its nuclear mojo. Back in the 1950s and ’60s, the U.S. dominated the industry, making over 90% of the world’s nuclear fuel. But by the ’90s, aging infrastructure, high costs, and a rush toward globalization convinced policymakers that outsourcing was smarter. Russia and Europe stepped in and the U.S. stepped back. Now, with energy demand surging and geopolitics fracturing, the price of that decision is clear.
Nuclear Energy as a National Security Issue: Will the U.S. Fall Behind?
Nuclear isn’t growing here, but it isn’t shrinking either; it still quietly provides a fifth of America’s electricity. And as new technologies like AI accelerate the hunger for power, the need for a secure, domestic fuel supply is suddenly an issue of national security.
The question is whether America can rebuild fast enough or whether we’ll find ourselves in 2040 watching China and Russia power ahead while our own grid flickers.
