OREANDA-NEWS. October 22, 2010. Techsnabexport (TENEX) officially opened in Washington, DC an office of its fully owned subsidiary, TENAM Corp.. TENEX is a leading global supplier of Russian nuclear fuel cycle (NFC) products. TENAM Corp. is the fifth overseas TENEX subsidiary, joining TENEX-Korea Co. (Seoul), TENEX-Japan Co. (Tokyo), Internexco GmbH (Frankfurt), which have been in operation for years, and recently established Tradewill Limited (London).

TENAM Corp. will support, expand and supplement the core businesses of TENEX. The activities of TENAM Corp. will be primarily focused on assisting TENEX in contracting directly American utilities and on generating new NFC-related business opportunities in the country. TENAM Corp. will be also prepared to provide a broad range of NFC product sales and marketing services to customers in other countries of the North and South Americas.

A high-level TENEX team headed by Director General Alexei Grigoriev arrived in Washington for the opening of TENAM office. The ceremony was attended by the heads of large American utilities and other TENEX partners.

In his opening address Alexei Grigoriev pointed out that TENAM Corp. is the first company affiliated with the state corporation "Rosatom" in the US. Therefore it should be considered not only as a tool for expanding TENEX businesses, but as a sort of a trade mission of the Russian nuclear industry in the region. "A renewed interest in the US and other countries towards nuclear power as a competitive, environmentally friendly and sustainable source of energy places a high responsibility on the international suppliers of uranium products in securing fuel for the current and future NPPs. The Russian nuclear industry possessing a vast technological potential and resources is prepared to adequately contribute both on traditional and new markets of nuclear materials and technologies. The major task of TENAM will be to facilitate in making the intentions come true".

Company Overview

The U. S. is the largest nuclear fuel market in the world, with a large growth potential. Today TENEX provides about half of the low-enriched uranium (LEU) needed to fuel nuclear power plants in the country. Currently to meet US power needs, LEU is downblended in Russia from military-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) and delivered by TENEX to the USEC Corp. within the U.S.-Russia HEU-LEU Agreement, which will expire in 2013.

In February 2008, the State Corporation "Rosatom" and the US Department of Commerce (DOC) signed an Amendment to the Russian Suspension Agreement (RSA), which provides the legal framework and allows commercial supplies of Russian LEU directly to US utilities from 2011 under certain terms and conditions.

As of today, TENEX has already signed 11 long-term Enriched Uranium Product (EUP) supply contracts with 9 US utilities totaling approximately USD 5 billion and is aiming to expand its portfolio of contracts in the US.

Press service of JSC Techsnabexport (TENEX).