OREANDA-NEWS U.S. utilities could face reactor shutdowns if enriched uranium supplies from Russia stop, said Matt Bowen and Paul Dubbar, researchers at Columbia University's Center for Global Energy Policy, in an article for The Hill, according to Gazeta.ru.

They noted that nuclear power accounts for over 20 percent of the generating capacity in some areas of the United States. If the export of enriched uranium from Russia is stopped, the electricity prices may exceed the current inflation rate.

The authors note that most of the reactors operating in the United States and the European Union were built by Russia, which supplies components for them, and if the conflict between Moscow and the West continues, many nuclear power plants would have to shut down. In such a situation, the publication said, there could be a shortage of capacity for consumer demand in the regions.

According to Bowen and Dubbar, to prevent this from happening, the conversion plant in the United States should be reopened, and private companies should explore strategies to expand production and technology to replace Russian supplies.