Russia Mulls Shipping Enriched Uranium to Japan via Far East

Thursday, Nov 13, 2008

Trackback Russia could become an even bigger player on the energy market than it already is if Tokyo and Moscow follow through on nuclear energy plans:

Russia is considering shipping uranium enriched at a plant in Siberia to Japan and other East Asian markets via a port in the Russian Far East, the chief executive of the plant says.Sufficient demand to justify investment is a prerequisite for exporting enriched uranium for nuclear power generation via the Russian Far East, Alexander Belousov, president of Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Complex in the east Siberian city of Angarsk, told Kyodo News and other news organizations Monday.

Angarsk Electrolysis belongs to the Russian state-run atomic power company Rosatom Nuclear Energy State Corp.

Russia currently only allows exports of enriched uranium from St. Petersburg port to ensure control.

With St. Petersburg closer to Europe and the United States, the time required to export uranium to East Asia will be substantially reduced if shipments are made via the Far East.

The deal would greatly reduce procurement costs for Japan, and make it more dependent on Russia than it currently is.

Russia, meanwhile, is planning to increase Angarsk Electrolysis’ uranium enrichment capacity by 3.5 times by 2015.

Most amazing about Russia’s growing importance is that the rest of the world is seemingly all too willing to become dependent on the former Cold War enemy. This while the Russia of Vladimir Putin has proved to be more than willing to bully those dependent on her.