Following a long period of working with U.S. officials and market sector representatives, Russia finally entered into a commercial transaction to provide enriched uranium for use in nuclear reactors located in Missouri, California, and Texas. The contract for USD 1 billion with three American companies provides for the importation into the U.S. of enough atomic fuel to power 15 million residential units by 2014.

In compliance with the current non-proliferation regime, Russia supplies to the U.S. the fuel for half of America’s nuclear reactors. This fuel is converted from dismantled Cold War weapons.

The new energy agreement is remarkable in that it calls for the importation of virgin uranium into the United States.