Christopher Tyrell, expert of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (US)

– As a result of the signed amendment, by 2020 the amount of uranium supply contracts may reach $10bln a year

The signing of an amendment to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation was a logic follow-up on the Sept 2007 verdict passed by the US Court of International Trade in favor of Rosatom.

On Sept 26 2007 the court ruled to lift antidumping restrictions on Russian low enriched uranium. Today, almost 50% of US nuclear power plants work on Russian uranium. The HEU-LEU contract stipulating that Russian uranium should be imported into the US via one monopolist agent terminates as late as 2013. Until then the US companies needed to get direct access to Russian nuclear fuel.

As a result of the signed amendment, by 2020 the amount of relevant contracts may reach $10bln a year, which is directly connected with the US’ plans to build new NPPs.