At Portugal News Robert Cavaleiro reports something of which I was unaware:
n 1993 the Clinton administration signed an accord with the Russian Federation for a continuous supply of enriched uranium to fuel U.S. reactors. Astonishingly, this trade has never ended. In the last year, U.S. nuclear energy companies are estimated to have paid to Rosatom (the enormous Russian marketing monopoly) around USD one billion for material which could have been produced in its own planned centrifugal plants; of these only one, in Ohio, is anywhere near completion. In Europe, Germany and France gladly bought Russian over-production to the tune of €450 million during 2022 while four other EU states – Bulgaria, Finland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic – operate a total of fifteen Russian made nuclear reactors but have not contracted a separate, authorized alternative to this source of fuel. It brings little profit in itself to Rosatom which relies on the sale of hardware and Russian technical expertise to pile up the roubles.
‘Splain me, Lucy. That’s the sort of thing that makes me wonder if we’re serious.
The original purpose was non-proliferation – taking the large stockpiles of HEU sitting around in the former USSR and down blending it to reactor fuel for us in western nuclear plants.
But like a lot of things, over time it became a self-licking ice cream cone.
It was also a way to keep all those Russian nuclear scientists and engineers gainfully employed instead of selling their expertise to the highest bidder (like North Korea, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, etc).
I’ll state my position is it is still in the US interest to cooperate with Russia on nuclear proliferation and the civilian nuclear energy industry. If the complaint is this contradicts our preferences in the Ukraine/Russia war; I agree, the whole conflict in Ukraine has made us lose sight of what are US interests in Eurasia.
Are we still using Russian rocket engines to put our spy satellites in orbit?
We are in the bizarre situation where neocons and senior politicians like Lindsey Graham are actively promoting wars with both Russia and China, two countries upon which both the US and EU are heavily dependent for resources, manufactured goods, and debt financing.
Of course, you have to wonder why Russia and China sell us anything. Nowadays, most of China’s exports go the the Global South, and that fraction is increasing. Russia builds pipelines to Europe, and the US blows them up.
One has to wonder if the US is serious about manufacturing computer chips stateside. Intel’ proposed new plant outside Columbus is on hold as the US is putting conditions on the subsidies being offered. For one, Intel has to produce a plan to provide day care for the plant’s workers:
https://www.nbc4i.com/intel-in-ohio/intel-plant-in-ohio-has-a-new-requirement-before-it-can-get-chips-act-funding/
More conditions likely will follow. At least an Environmental Impact Statement will be needed. A huge chunk of farmland will be developed.
This is the sort of stuff that drove manufacturing to Asia in the first place.