英媒：燃料可能面临“供应缺口”，美国难圆核能复兴梦

Group 1 - The U.S. nuclear energy revival strategy is threatened by a potential shortage of enriched uranium due to rising demand and a ban on Russian imports, as stated by Centrus Energy's CEO Amir Vexler [1][2] - The global enrichment industry is dominated by four major producers: Russia's Rosatom, China's CNNC, France's Orano, and Europe's Urenco, with only Centrus and Urenco holding enrichment licenses in the U.S. [1] - Centrus currently sources most of its enriched uranium from Russia, which will be prohibited starting January 1, 2028, due to U.S. congressional sanctions [1] Group 2 - The U.S. government has been actively promoting the revival of its domestic nuclear industry, with President Trump signing four executive orders related to nuclear energy, including accelerating reactor testing and reforming regulatory bodies [2] - The U.S. domestic enrichment capacity is significantly lower than demand, with only 4.3 million SWU (separative work units) available against a demand of 15.6 million SWU, highlighting a critical dependency on foreign suppliers [2] - The price of enrichment services has surged by 167% since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reaching a record $173 per SWU [2] Group 3 - The U.S. government allocated $900 million to Centrus, Orano, and General Matter to enhance domestic enrichment services, but the market remains tight and will continue to be so until new capacities come online, which may take a decade [3] - The U.S. nuclear industry faces challenges in workforce availability, as many skilled workers have transitioned to other energy sectors, necessitating training for new personnel [3] - The stagnation in the U.S. nuclear sector has resulted in a loss of competitive advantage in nuclear power development compared to other countries that are expanding their nuclear capacity [3]