The United States plans to expand its strategic uranium stockpile to reduce dependence on Russia and boost nuclear energy prospects

The US should consider expanding its strategic uranium stockpile to guard against dependence on Russian supplies and bolster confidence in the long-term prospects of nuclear power, the Trump administration's top energy official said on September 16. Russia currently provides about a quarter of the enriched uranium for the 94 US nuclear reactors that generate about a fifth of the country's electricity. If this source is cut off too quickly without alternative suppliers or additional stockpiles, it could endanger about 5 per cent of the electricity supply. "We are moving in one direction - though not yet there - to stop using Russian enriched uranium," Mr. Wright said. "We would like to see a rapid increase in US uranium consumption, both from large reactors and small modular reactors," Mr. Wright said. The corresponding buffer size will expand over time. We need a lot of domestic uranium resources and enrichment capacity. "