Despite sanctions: German company wants to build fuel elements with Putin's nuclear group

In the town of Lingen in Lower Saxony, Advanced Nuclear Fuels GmbH (ANF), a subsidiary of the French nuclear group Framatome, has been producing fuel assemblieselements for nuclear power plants in Europe in Lingen, Lower Saxony, since 1979. With Germany’sthe German nuclear phase-out on 15 April 2023 –- when the last three German nuclear power plants, including the Emsland nuclear power plant directly next toat the ANF site, were taken off the grid –- the domestic market for the company has largely lost its domestic marketdisappeared. Even before thatHowever, however, ANF had already begun to tap intodevelop a new line of business segment: the production of hexagonal fuel assemblieselements for Soviet-design pressurised water reactors of Soviet design (VVERsVVER), which are still in operation in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland. For a long time, these 19 reactors sourcedobtained their fuel exclusively or predominantly from Russia. According to the EuropeanEU Commission, although all operators have now signed contracts with alternative suppliers – but, they are still rely to a considerable extentheavily dependent on Russian technology. The path out of dependencedependency leads throughvia Russia At first glance, the project appears reasonableseems to make sense in terms of energy policy: if Western manufacturers were to supply these fuel assemblieselements, Eastern European statescountries could reduce their dependence on Moscow. YetHowever, this is precisely where thea contradiction lies –- because the routepath out of Russian dependence is supposed to runlead via Russian technology and Russian participationinvolvement. The basis for the project is based on a licence agreement concluded infrom 2021 between ANF and the Russian state nuclear energy corporationgroup Rosatom and its subsidiary TVEL Fuel Company. ANF submitted its application forthe nuclear regulatory approvallicence application to the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment in March 2022 –- just a few weeks after Russia’sthe Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since then, an approval procedurethe process has been under way that is legally complex and politically contentiouscontroversial. 'No routine procedure' Formally, "Not an everyday occurrence" Lower Saxony is formally responsible, but in practice the state’'s room for manoeuvre is actually limited: the final say rests with the federal government has the final say. In February 2026, Politico reported, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that the federal government had issuedgiven Lower Saxony with a conditional recommendation to grantfor approval subject to conditions. In response to a queryan enquiry from Euronews, the Federal Environment Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) saidwrote that it would not comment on details whileduring the procedure is ongoing process. Lower Saxony’'s Environment Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) makes no secret of his scepticism: '"The application to switchconvert production at the Lingen plant to hexagonal fuel assemblieselements at the plant in Lingen with Russian involvementparticipation is not an everyday matteroccurrence and is causingcauses me, and many citizens, serious concern forconcerns about internal and external security.'" The project is highly controversial. More than 11,000 people and organisations lodgedhave written objections to it –oppose the project - an unusually high number for a nuclear licensingapproval procedure. According to an analysis (source in German) by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, Rosatom is responsible for both the civilian and military use of nuclear energy in Russia. Since 4 March 2022, the corporationcompany has also controlled the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhiain Zaporizhia. Meyer likewise stressesalso emphasises that many experts from Ukraine and Eastern Europe warnwarned against the state-owned nuclear group, which iscompany being directly involved in the war of aggression. The plan: Russian technology as a stopgaptemporary solution ANF and Framatome take a different view of the projectplan. Mario Leberig, Vice President EngineeringTechnology at Framatome and responsible for the engineering division in Germany, described the project to the FAZ as an opportunity to boostfor greater energy security in Eastern Europe. An in-house development of the fuel assemblieselements will not be ready for series production beforeuntil 2030 at the earliest –- until then, ANF is relying on the Rosatom licence. The necessary machines are already in Lingen; according to the FAZ , around 20 Russian specialists handed over the equipment to ANF employees in April 2024. The Lower Saxony Environment Ministry disagreesof the Environment counters this: '"How closely licensedclose licence manufacturing and production with Russia – using- with Russian machines, know-howexpertise and finished fuel assemblieselements from Russia – is supposed to- can reduce dependence on Russian fuel assemblieselements is beyondnot clear to us.' As an alternative model, it points to" Westinghouse, which is already producingproduces hexagonal fuel assemblieselements for Eastern European reactors in Sweden, is cited as an alternative model. Vladimir Slivyak is also doubtfulexpresses doubts. The co-chairchairman of the Russian environmental organisation Ecodefense and recipientwinner of the Right Livelihood Award lives in exile in Germany. He tells Euronews: '"Framatome cannot produce this fuel without Rosatom –- so the dependencedependency remains. What is being presented as diversification is in reality a continuation of dependence, with European companies skimming off part of the profits.'" A political detourdiversions via France? Slivyak also sees the construction of the project’s set-up as an attempt to circumvent political resistance. According to his accounthim, the federalGerman government in office in 2022at the time had rejected direct cooperation on German soil in 2022. TheAs a result, the joint venture in Lyon was then newly re-established –in Lyon - structurally identical, but as a French legal entity. Slivyak says: '"This is clearly a clear political detourdiversions. Germany hesitatedwas reluctant to let Rosatom into its nuclear sector –- so Framatome simply moved the joint venture to France and brought it back in via anotherby a different route. Russia’sThe Russian role has never disappeared;, it has merely beenwas just repackaged.'" Europe’'s uranium imports: tieslinks with Russia endureremain According to research by public broadcaster NDR , Russia supplied around 68.6 tonnes of uranium to the Lingen plant in 2024 –- an increase of roughlyaround 66 percent on% compared to the previous year. Across the EU, member states imported Russian uranium products worth more than 700 million euros in 2024, according to a joint study by the Kyiv think -tank DiXi Group and the Brussels-based economic institute Bruegel, based on Eurostat data. Only the 20thRosatom: no breakthrough in sanctions package targets so far Rosatom directly Throughhas remained largely unaffected by numerous sanctions packages, Rosatom remained untouched because states such as Hungary and Slovakia blocked corresponding measures. It was only with theThe 20th EU sanctions package , presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 6adopted in February 2026, that Rosatom focussed primarily on a ban on maritime services for Russian crude oil and its subsidiaries – including TVEL – were explicitly included:further banking measures - a ban on imports of Russian uranium or an explicit ban on new contracts are banned,with Rosatom and Russian uranium may no longer be importedits subsidiaries was again not adopted. Transitional periods for existing contracts run until mid-2026. Whether the existing ANF–TVEL joint venture falls under this remains legally unclear. Framatome invokesalso refers to the 1957 Euratom Treaty of 1957, which as EU primary law is said, according to protectthe company's own interpretation, protects existing nuclear cooperationco-operations as primary EU law. TheWhen asked by Euronews, the Federal Environment Ministry indicates, in response to a request from Euronews,signalled that it is keeping a closewould keep an eye on developments at European leveldevelopments. '"The EuropeanEU Commission has announced that, as part of the RePowerEU strategy, it will present a specific draft regulation underas part of the RePowerEU strategy, which aims to gradually reduce imports of nuclear material and technology from Russia are to be gradually reduced,'" the ministry’s statement reads. However, the draft has not yet been submitted to the ministry. Environmental activist and Kremlin criticopponent Slivyak is calling for more resolutedecisive action: '"The EU still has a window of opportunity –- but it has tomust act now: nuclear cooperationNuclear co-operation with Rosatom and its subsidiaries must endbe ended, combined with clear, time-limited transition plans for countries that are still dependent.'" Lingen as an example of a biggerlarger problem Formally, the decision on the controversial project is made in Lower Saxony –- but the state is acting on behalf of the federal government. Nuclear law is a federal matter: the federal government can instruct the state authorities onin all questionsmatters and has the final say. The basis forof the procedure is the so-called Roller report (source in German) , which the federal government commissioned at the outsetbeginning and which recommends that issues of internal and external security arising from the joint venture with Rosatom be taken into account in the licensingapproval procedure. WhetherThe federal government and its security authorities must decide whether the joint venture poses specific risksa concrete threat to internal or external security –- through sabotage, espionage or Russian influence – is something that the federal government and its security authorities must determine.