--- title: "Trump’s Tariffs Poised to Wreck Nuclear Power" description: "Mining Doubt If Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise to impose tariffs on Canadian energy imports — and it very much looks like he will — it will devastate the nuclear energy market. As Reuters reports, the Canadian mining companies that supplied more than a quarter of the United States' uranium needs in 2023 — which fuels our nuclear energy plants and, to a lesser extent, our scientific research and industrial manufacturing — are already feeling the brunt of Trump's tariff threats. Though the president included a quote-unquote \"carve-out\" for Canadian oil, uranium, coal, electricity, and natural gas, those […]" date: "2025-02-03" modified: "2025-02-03" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/trump-canada-tariffs-nuclear-uranium" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "donald trump" - "nuclear power" - "the digest" - "uranium" --- # Trump’s Tariffs Poised to Wreck Nuclear Power ![If Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise to impose tariffs on Canadian energy imports, it will devastate the nuclear energy market.]() *\Image: Chip Somodevilla via Getty / Futurism\* ## Enemy Mine If Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise to impose tariffs on Canadian energy imports — [now pushed back a month](), but still a looming threat — it stands to devastate the nuclear energy market. As [*Reuters* reports](), the Canadian mining companies that supplied more than a quarter of the [United States' uranium needs in 2023]() — which [fuels our nuclear energy plants]() and, to a lesser extent, our [scientific research]() and industrial manufacturing — are already feeling the brunt of Trump's tariff threats. Though the president included a "[carve-out]()" for Canadian oil, uranium, coal, electricity, and natural gas, those important exports would still be taxed an additional 10 percent. Look no further than the markets; stocks for Cameco, one of Canada's largest uranium miners, slumped even further today after [plunging 13 percent]() in the wake of DeepSeek's insistence that the mineral won't be that necessary for powering its AI centers. While larger miners like Cameco would likely be able to weather this storm, experts are warning that smaller outfits would bear the brunt. "The ripple effects will be severe, particularly for small and medium-sized manufacturers that lack the flexibility and capital to rapidly find alternative suppliers or absorb skyrocketing energy costs," explained Jay Timmons, the CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, in an interview with *Reuters*. ## No War But Trade War Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum apparently reaching detente and agreeing on a [one-month "pause" on those tariffs]() this morning, and Canada announced a [similar deal]() this afternoon. If that month elapses and uranium and other Canadian minerals begin being taxed an additional 10 percent, the US may begin seeking the important nuclear fuel elsewhere — and according to one in-the-know diplomat, Russia would be the biggest alternative. "We supply \[the US\] about a third of the uranium that you use, but you still get uranium from Russia," Canada's ambassador to the US, Kirsten Hillman, [told *NPR* last week](). "So what we are saying is, 'Why are you doing that? Why not create a nuclear fuel partnership with Canada to make the two of us nuclear independent nations?'" "We can't do that," the ambassador continued, "if we're in a big tariff fight." Could these tariffs even be [devised to benefit]() [Elon Musk]() and [Trump's buddy Vladimir Putin]()? There's probably not quite that much 4-D chess going on with [these idiotic tariffs]() and the will-they-won't-they drama surrounding them — but that doesn't mean they won't benefit Russia down the line. **More on Trump and energy:** [*Trump Admin Orders Deletion of Information About Climate Change From Government Websites*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()