A Canadian Company's Russian Fuel Problem
While Russian forces continue targeting Ukraine's power infrastructure, a Canadian-owned company is still part of the supply chain keeping Russian nuclear fuel flowing into North America's electricity grid. Westinghouse Electric, which is owned by Canada's Cameco Corporation alongside Brookfield Renewable, is among the firms receiving shipments of low enriched uranium from Russia, according to shipping data analyzed by CBC's the fifth estate.
The fuel is used to power commercial nuclear reactors across the United States — reactors that supply electricity to millions of American homes and businesses. But the arrangement highlights an uncomfortable reality: even as Western governments impose sweeping sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, critical parts of the nuclear energy sector in Europe and the U.S. remain tied to Russian materials.
Why Cameco's Ownership Stake Matters
Saskatchewan-based Cameco, one of the world's largest uranium producers, took a 49 percent stake in Westinghouse in 2023 as part of a consortium with Brookfield. That deal was framed at the time as a strategic move to strengthen Western nuclear supply chains and reduce reliance on Russian state-owned nuclear firms like Rosatom.
The fifth estate's findings complicate that narrative. Despite the ownership change and the stated goal of building out non-Russian fuel sources, Westinghouse has continued receiving Russian-origin low enriched uranium to keep existing reactor contracts fulfilled. Industry watchers say this reflects how deeply embedded Russian nuclear fuel is in global supply chains — swapping it out isn't something that happens overnight, even for a company owned in part by a Canadian firm.
The Bigger Picture on Nuclear Fuel Dependence
Nuclear fuel supply chains are notoriously slow to shift. Enrichment facilities take years to build, and Russia's Rosatom has long been one of the dominant global suppliers of enriched uranium, alongside facilities in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. When the U.S. passed legislation in 2024 to phase out imports of Russian enriched uranium, it included waivers allowing continued shipments in cases where American utilities couldn't yet source enough fuel elsewhere — a gap that companies like Westinghouse have relied on.
For Canada, the situation puts Cameco in an awkward spot. The company has positioned itself publicly as part of the solution to Western nuclear fuel security, including ramping up domestic uranium production and enrichment capacity. But its stake in Westinghouse means it's also, indirectly, tied to a supply chain still running through Moscow.
Critics argue this underscores the need for Canada and its allies to accelerate investment in non-Russian enrichment capacity, rather than relying on waivers and transition periods that let Russian nuclear revenue keep flowing during an active war. Others note that abruptly cutting off fuel supplies could risk destabilizing reactors that supply power to millions of people, making a fast full break more complicated than sanctions alone can solve.
As the war in Ukraine continues, the shipping data adds to a growing body of evidence that Western economies — and Canadian companies among them — remain more entangled with Russian energy supply chains than many governments have publicly acknowledged.
Source: CBC News
