Energy Fragility: The Hidden Link Between Russian Nuclear Fuel and Newcomer Stability
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
As Canadian-owned firms facilitate the flow of Russian enriched uranium to U.S. reactors, the resulting energy dependence creates a volatile backdrop for newcomers facing a cost-of-living crisis.
For the thousands of newcomers arriving in Canada, the struggle to establish a life is often defined by the volatility of basic costs. While the cost-of-living crisis is a multifaceted burden, the stability of the energy grids that power North American life remains a critical, if invisible, factor. As CBC first reported in an investigation by *the fifth estate*, a complex web of energy dependence underscores the fragility of this stability: the continued reliance on Russian nuclear fuel.
According to reporting from CBC, the U.S. electricity grid remains dependent on Russian nuclear fuel despite the ongoing war in Ukraine and attacks on Ukraine's power infrastructure by the Russian military. Central to this pipeline is Westinghouse Electric, a company 51 per cent owned by Brookfield Renewable Partners (a subsidiary of Toronto-based Brookfield Corporation) and 49 per cent owned by the Saskatchewan-based Cameco Corporation. Shipping data analyzed by *the fifth estate* shows that Westinghouse has received low enriched uranium (LEU) from Russia to fuel commercial reactors in the U.S.
This dependence persists despite a U.S. ban on Russian enriched uranium enacted in August 2024. As CBC reports, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) can waive this ban under the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act if no viable alternative exists or if the import serves the national interest. These waivers are set to expire on January 1, 2028. The scale of this reliance is significant; the Bellona Environmental Transparency Center reported in June that the U.S. imported approximately 400 tonnes of LEU from Russia in 2025, valued at roughly $1 billion US. Major recipients included Westinghouse (around 27 tonnes), Global Nuclear Fuel Americas (more than 110 tonnes), and subsidiaries of the French-owned Framatome (more than 127 tonnes).
For newly arrived families, the macroeconomic implications of such dependencies are profound. When energy security is tied to a geopolitical adversary—specifically Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom and its export arm, Tenex—the risk of price shocks or supply disruptions increases. While Canadian reactors, such as the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, do not require enriched uranium, the integrated nature of the North American energy market means that instability in the U.S. grid can ripple across borders.
***Opinion:*** *In my view, the continued flow of uranium from Tenex to Westinghouse—including a March shipment of 50,612 kilograms delivered to the port of Baltimore—represents more than just a corporate logistics chain. It is a vulnerability. For a newcomer struggling to afford rent and groceries, a spike in energy costs driven by geopolitical leverage is not just a policy failure; it is a threat to their precarious financial stability.*
Dmitry Gorchakov, a nuclear adviser at Bellona, told CBC that this dependence allows Rosatom and Russian propaganda to claim that Western nations cannot function without them. He urged all countries to cancel cooperation and lower their dependence on Russia. While Cameco reported lobbying on the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act in Washington, the company told *the fifth estate* it does not handle enriched uranium. Meanwhile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration confirmed in a July 29 report that Russia was the largest foreign provider of uranium enrichment services to the U.S. in 2025.