Russian Fuel imports to Missouri

Another chapter in the history of imports to the nation.
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Nuclear fuel from Russia coming to Misouri
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 10:01 PM
By Bob Priddy
Missouri's only commercial nuclear plant is going to be getting fuel from a source that might have surprised many people just a few years ago.

Ameren UE and two other major utility companies that operate similar nuclear power plants have broken new ground by agreeing to buy nuclear fuel from Tenex, the state nuclear fuel exporter for Russia.

From 20-14 through 20-20, Ameren will get about 25 percent of its nuclear fuel from Tenex.

Until last year the only uranium Russia could sell to the United States came from dismantled nuclear weapons. But federal law has change to allow utilities to buy Russian enriched uranium.

Ameren spokesman Mike Cleary says Russia has opened up a lot since the Soviet era and is just selling on the open market a product it has.

The enriched uranium will be shipped to Columbia, South Carolina, where it will be turned into fuel rods before it is shipped to the Callaway plant.

The three companies will spend one-billion dollars in the deal that will provide fuel for nuclear plants in Missouri, Texas, and California.

http://www.missourinet.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=D1B50115-5056-B82A-372EDCC3A810A6E4

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