Siberia gets its first shipment of Australian uranium under a 2007 agreement

The plant is one of Russia's four uranium enrichment sites. 'After it is processed, Tekhsnabexport (Tenex) will deliver the low-enriched uranium to an operating nuclear power plant abroad', a spokesperson told RIA Novosti.

The delivery from Energy Resources of Australia Ltd was made under an agreement on nuclear cooperation for peaceful purposes signed by Vladimir Putin and then Australian Prime Minister John Howard in Sydney in 2007.

The development is seen as paving the way for Tenex to import uranium mined in Australia for enrichment in Russia.

'Many utilities outside Russia have long-term agreements based on the supply of uranium from Australia, but they haven't thought about the possibility of enriching the uranium in Russia', said a Tenex spokeswoman.

'Execution of this relatively small, but very important contract gives the green light to Australian natural uranium to be used as feed material for ... contracts between Western utilities and Tenex', said Tenex acting director general Lyudmila Zalimskaya in an earlier statement.