Nuclear Divide: Why Europe Will Struggle to Quit Russian Uranium

Nuclear Numbers You Can't Escape

The European Commission has confirmed plans for a phased ban on imports of Russian nuclear fuel—a move intended to complete Europe's energy "divorce" from Russia. EC spokesperson Ana Kaisa Itkonen explained: "Supply chains in the nuclear energy sector have their own peculiarities and complexities." Translated from diplomatic speak—yes, it's possible to walk away, but not quickly and not painlessly.

According to Euratom data, in 2023 Russiasuppliedapproximately23% of natural uranium deliveriesto the EU and nearly27% of conversion services, without which enrichment is impossible. In the enriched uranium segment itself, Rosatom's share is even higher—up to 38% of the EU market.

These figures aren't just statistics—they describe a reality where Russian uranium is built into the very architecture of European nuclear power. In 2023, the EU purchased more than €700 million worth of nuclear fuel from Russia, even as overall energy imports from Russia fell by orders of magnitude. Russia may be supplying fewer energy resources—but it hasn't lost control over a critical link in the energy chain.

A Nuclear Hello from the USSR

Europe's main problem is that a significant portion of European nuclear power plants—especially in Eastern Europe—were built using Soviet designs with VVER reactors. Currently, the EU has99 reactors in operation,11 of which are VVERs, built using Soviet technology and serviced by Rosatom. In Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, they provide up to 50% of national power generation, and all are "tailored" for Russian fuel.

Any attempt to replace it with Western alternatives requires not just a new contract, but essentially reactor recertification: recalculation of the reactor core, licensing, additional testing. That's years of work and hundreds of millions of euros per plant. For example, Czech nuclear corporation ČEZbegandiversifying fuel suppliers for the Temelín and Dukovany reactors back in 2018, attempting to replace Russian supplier TVEL. Only in 2025, after all inspections were complete, did the first deliveries of American fuel from Westinghouse begin.

So talk of a "phased withdrawal" means one thing—a decade-long technical transition. France, where nuclear generation accounts for nearly 70% of the energy mix, could become a leader in replacement, but even its uranium enrichment capacity is limited.