The war trade spreads into uranium while the US weighs on import duties

The Trump administration began an investigation to find out if uranium imports are threatening national security, a measure that could result in tariffs on the nuclear plant's fuel.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday it would investigate "whether the current quantity and circumstances of mineral imports and uranium products in the United States threaten to jeopardize national security." The survey will cover the entire uranium sector, from the mining industry to enrichment Defense and industrial consumption, says the department

Where US reactors get their uranium [19659004] Purchases in Pounds in 2017

US Energy Information Administration

Imposition of uranium duties would take another blow to nuclear power plants already struggling with low electricity prices and stable demand . The survey also adds to the trade tensions that the International Monetary Fund warns represents the greatest risk to the global economy. US uranium miners provide less than 5% of domestic consumption of the metal and say that it is increasingly difficult to compete with state-subsidized companies abroad.

The Ministry of Defense will be consulted on the needs of national defense. Wilbur Ross said in a separate letter to the Secretary of Defense James Mattis the notifier of the investigation.

U.S. Uranium production needed for military and electrical energy dropped to 5% of domestic consumption, up from 49%, Ross said. Merchandise prices have fallen since the Fukushima disaster in 2011, which has led major buyers, including Japan and Germany, to shut down or decommission the reactors. The problem was compounded by an overabundance of global supply that pushed Kazakhstan, the world's largest producer, to cut spending last year. Canadian company Cameco Corp., the largest North American supplier, followed suit in November.

Petition of January

U.S. Uranium producers Energy Fuels Inc. and Ur-Energy Inc. filed a petition in January asking the Commerce Department to investigate the case under the law. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 on imports of steel and aluminum.

Canada and Kazakhstan are the main sources of uranium imports from the United States, each accounting for about a quarter of the total, followed by Australia, Russia and the United States. 39, Uzbekistan, according to the US Information Energy Administration. According to the government agency, nearly 90% of the uranium delivered to US reactors came from foreign countries in 2016.

– With the help of Joe Deaux [19659002] ( Updates that may have an impact on nuclear power generators and minor uranium in the third paragraph. )