Why Russia Has Such a Strong Grip on Europe's Nuclear Power

Visible reminders of Russia's crucial role in Europe's energy supply are the pinched cylinders of Russian-built nuclear power plants that dot the continent's landscape.

In the wake of the war in Ukraine, Europe moved quickly to break its dependence on Russian oil and natural gas. However, breaking its longstanding dependence on Russia's vast nuclear industry is a much more complicated undertaking.

Although there has been urging from the Ukrainian government in Kyiv, there has been scant support for sanctions against Rosatom, who dominates the global nuclear supply chain through its mammoth state-owned nuclear power company, Rosatom. In 2021, it was Europe's third-largest supplier of uranium, accounting for 20 percent of the total.

For countries with Russian-made reactors, reliance runs deep. In five European Union countries, every reactor 18 in total were built by Russia. In addition, two more are scheduled to start operating soon in Slovakia, and two are under construction in Hungary, cementing partnerships with Rosatom far into the future.

For years, the operators of these nuclear power plants had little choice but to use TVEL's fuel assemblies. TVEL is a subsidiary of Rosatom, and is virtually the only producer of the fabricated fuel assemblies the last step in the process of turning uranium into the nuclear fuel rods that power the reactors.

Some European countries have started to step away from Russia's nuclear energy superstore since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

CEZ, the Czech Republic's energy company, has signed contracts with Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse Electric Company and the French company Framatome to supply fuel assemblies for its plant in Temelin.

After its current contracts expire, Finland canceled a troubled project with Rosatom to build a nuclear reactor and hired Westinghouse to design, license and supply a new fuel type for its plant in Loviisa.

"The purpose is to diversify the supply chain," said Simon-Erik Ollus, an executive vice president at Fortum, a Finnish energy company.

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Westinghouse has signed a new 10-year agreement with Bulgaria to provide fuel for its existing reactors. Last week, Bulgaria moved ahead with plans for the American company to build new nuclear reactor units. Poland is about to construct its first nuclear power plant, which will feature three Westinghouse reactors.

Slovakia and Hungary, Russia's closest ally in the European Union, have also reached out to alternative fuel suppliers.

"We see a lot of genuine movement," said Tarik Choho, president of nuclear fuel unit at Westinghouse. He added that the Ukraine war accelerated Europe's search for new suppliers. "Even Hungary wants to diversify."

"Russia's march into Ukraine last year in some ways marked 'a sea change,' said William Freebairn, senior managing editor for nuclear energy at S&P Commodity Insights."

"Within days of the invasion," he said, "just about every country that operated a Russian reactor started looking for alternate supply."

In 2014, after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia sent troops to occupy territory in Crimea and the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine began making serious efforts to chip away at Russian nuclear dominance. 15 of Ukraine's Soviet-era reactors provided half the country's electricity, and it signed a deal with Westinghouse to expand its fuel contract.

The International Energy Association reports that it took approximately five years to design the first fuel assembly, from start to finish.

"Ukraine has blazed a commercial trail," Mr. Freebairn said. In June, the country signed another contract with Westinghouse to eventually provide all its nuclear fuel. The company will also build nine power plants and establish an engineering center there.

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Although it would be a difficult process, a worldwide turn away from Russia's nuclear industry would be beneficial in the long run. The nuclear supply chain is very complex, so it would be expensive and take years to establish a new one. However, this would be a worth investment in the future.

Rosatom has been uniquely successful as a business enterprise and a vehicle for Russian political influence. Much of its ascendancy is due to what experts have labeled a 'one-stop nuclear shop' that can provide countries with an all-inclusive package: materials, training, support, maintenance, disposal of nuclear waste, decommissioning and, perhaps most important, financing on favorable terms.

Deals to build nuclear reactors compel a long-term marriage, with a life span of 20 to 40 years.

Russia has a tight grip on the market for nuclear fuel. It controls 38 percent of the world's uranium conversion and 46 percent of the uranium enrichment capacity. These are essential steps in producing usable fuel.

"In terms of market share and power, that's equal to all of OPEC put together," said Paul Dabbar, a visiting fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. He was referring to the oil dominance of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

According to a report from the Royal United Services Institute, a security research organization in London, the cost of nuclear fuel supplies has risen over the past year, putting more than $1 billion from exports into Russia's treasury.

According to the International Energy Association, the American nuclear power industry gets up to 20 percent of its enriched uranium from Russia, which is the maximum allowed by a recent nonproliferation treaty. France imports 15 percent. Two months before Russia's invasion, Framatome, which is owned by state-backed nuclear power operator EDF, signed a cooperation agreement with Rosatom that is still in effect. Framatome declined to comment.

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Even with the slate of new fuel agreements in Europe with non-Russian sources, deliveries won't begin for at least a year, and in some cases several years.

A quarter of the European Union's electricity supply comes from nuclear power and this is expected to increase as there is a worldwide push to decrease the overall use of fossil fuels.

Analyst argue that Russia's position as a nuclear supplier has been permanently compromised, even without formal sanctions.

Uranium enriched by Russia for fuel rods emerged as one of the arguments against extending the lives of the last two nuclear power plants in Germany last year. The plants are to be shut down next month.

The Council of Ministers for Poland approved an agreement in November for Westinghouse to build the country's first nuclear power plant. The resolution cited the need for Poland to be permanently independent from Russia for energy supplies and energy carriers.

Mr. Choho, from Westinghouse, is confident that eventually, Westinghouse could capture 50 to 75 percent of the nuclear market in Europe. This would be competition for Rosatom. Westinghouse has signed an agreement with the Spanish energy company Enusa. The agreement is for both companies to cooperate on fabricating fuel for Russian-made reactors.

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In countries outside of the European Union and the United States, where support for Russia's government has remained strong, Rosatom's one-stop shopping and financing continue to be enticing. Russian-built reactors can be found in China, India, and Iran, as well as in Armenia and Belarus. Construction has begun on Turkey's first nuclear power plant, and Rosatom has a memorandum of understanding with 13 countries, according to the International Energy Association.

The journal Nature Energy released a new report that concluded that while the war will have a negative effect on Rosatom's position in Europe and its reputation, its global standing may remain strong.