Germany starts producing nuclear fuel with Russian technology
Photo: Rosatom logo (Getty Images)
In Germany, the production of nuclear fuel using Russian technologies has been officially permitted. The work will be carried out in close cooperation with the state corporation Rosatom, according to Euronews.
The Ministry of the Environment of the state of Lower Saxony has approved the plant's application in Lingen. The company Advanced Nuclear Fuels (ANF) now has the right to manufacture fuel assemblies under a license from the aggressor country.
This company is a subsidiary of the French giant Framatome. Cooperation with the Russians will continue despite strict EU sanctions. Official Berlin has repeatedly accused the Kremlin of espionage and sabotage, but the nuclear sector has once again found itself outside the restrictions,
The project concerns specific equipment, namely hexagonal fuel assemblies. They are used exclusively on Soviet-designed reactors.
Such NPPs still operate in several regions:
- Eastern European countries;
- Finland;
- States of the former socialist bloc.
This is the main reason for the absence of sanctions. The EU still depends on Russian nuclear technologies in these countries. Replacing the supplier requires years of preparation and billions in investment.
Position of the authorities and environmentalists
The Federal Ministry of the Environment has criticized the move, as officials consider such cooperation dangerous. In their opinion, the nuclear sector should also fall under pan-European sanctions.
The approval process was lengthy, and ANF's application was reviewed for several years:
- Comprehensive checks were conducted;
- Consultations with federal agencies took place;
- Experts in nuclear law were involved.
The state environment minister, Christian Meyer, called the decision fundamentally wrong. He represents the Green Party. The politician believes that Russia uses energy as a weapon.
Environmental organizations and local activists oppose the project. They see it as a direct threat to Germany's national security.
Currently, the only way to stop such cooperation is to introduce sanctions at the level of the entire EU. Until that happens, Rosatom continues to profit in the European market.
Context of the news
Indeed, this is because Eastern Europe has many NPPs built to the Soviet design, or projects that are under construction under the auspices of Rosatom. For example, the US administration granted Hungary an exception from financial sanctions against Russia, which allows the continuation of the Paks II NPP construction project, carried out by Rosatom.
Also, Rosatom continues to supply nuclear fuel for Unit 3 of the Mochovce NPP in Slovakia, which was put into operation in January 2023. The Russians provide services for units of their design, for example, for the Kozloduy NPP in Bulgaria.
