Since the war broke out in Ukraine in 2022, Western sanctions to Russia have been a constant that has gradually diminished to the economy of Moscow although not to the point that the European Union and the US intended. However, now Europe faces a problem that keeps union in a complicated dilemma.
And, while implementing sanctions, the reality is that Russia’s energy dependence has left more than 200,000 million euros in the Kremlin coffers since 2022 from the EU. Now, Brussels intends to take a step further to reduce this dependence on Russian nuclear technology and with it to be able to take another step in its way to the total break with Moscow. But this will not be so easy.
If the 2024 data are seen, The EU paid Russia a total of 22,000 million euros in exchange for carbon and oil importswhile of that amount, ‘only’ 700 million corresponded to the purchase of nuclear fuel by Europe. However, from Europe a sudden cut of Moscow nuclear imports has been warned, they would mean a serious problem for the energy security of the Union, so making a decision of this draft It could cost very expensive for Europe, as the Financial Times, citing government sources.
“Technically speaking, the uranium supply chain is very complex,” said Ben McWilliams, an associate researcher in Bruegel’s weather and energy. So the most logical decision for him would be a gradual elimination. And, in total, Russia contributes between 20 and 25% of its natural uranium to Europein addition to what EU reactors are largely nourished by Russian spare parts.
According to the information provided by the European Commission, the energy nuclear sector should be free of Russian imports for the 2030s, although to achieve that goal, it would be necessary An investment of 241,000 million euros to develop the national nuclear supply chain.
With this issue on the table, the EU ministers will discuss nuclear investments at a meeting next Monday and all this in a context in which Europe is being much more interested in nuclear energy than in recent years, so the old continent faces A total restructuring of its supply systems in this regard, despite the opposition of Hungary and Slovakia.
