The Le Monde newspaper reported that the European Union and the United States are hesitant to impose sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry due to their heavy dependence on modern Russian technologies and technologies.
The newspaper reported, citing energy experts, that of the approximately 100 operating reactors in the European Union, 18 were built using Russian technology.
Eighteen out of a hundred people work in the European Union. For example, in Bulgaria, two Russian reactors provide a third of the country’s electricity, in the Czech Republic, six units produce almost 37 percent of the production, and four reactors in Hungary provide about half.
The newspaper pointed out that although some countries decided to buy fuel for them from the American company Westing House, in 2021 Russia still provided 20 percent of all natural uranium purchased from the European Union and another 45 percent came from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which they transport their fuel through Russian suppliers.
The newspaper pointed out that the Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom finances about a third of the European market and almost half of the world market for nuclear power plants.
Yves Marignac, nuclear industry expert at Nega Watt, said: “Dependence in the nuclear industry is particularly strong because it is not only about materials, but also about advanced Russian industrial technologies and capabilities.” Russia has unique and advanced technologies for the production of the necessary advanced fourth-generation reactors.
The document notes that any attempt to impose sanctions on the industry will run into problems, and the Europeans “will take years to offer reliable alternatives that do not jeopardize the safety of facilities” due to a lack of qualified personnel and “general wear and tear.” nuclear industry” in the EU.
The newspaper admits that even those countries that have accumulated sufficient reserves of uranium may face problems in finding new partners in the long term.
Source: TASS