German authorities have approved a French firm's plan to produce nuclear fuel rods using Russian technology, citing a lack of legal grounds to deny the request.
Key facts
- •The fuel rods are intended to supply nuclear plants in the eastern European market.
- •The German government continues to advocate for EU-wide sanctions against Russia's nuclear sector.
- •Framatome claims the project supports European energy security and industrial sovereignty.
- •The approval was granted by the environment ministry of Lower Saxony.
- •No EU agreement currently exists to extend sanctions to the nuclear power sector.
Germany approved an application on Wednesday from the French company Framatome to produce nuclear fuel rods using licenses and technology from Russian state-owned firms TVEL and Rosatom. The approval was granted by the environment ministry of Lower Saxony, with guidance from the federal government, despite political concerns regarding Russia's war in Ukraine.
Legal Basis for Approval
The German federal environment ministry stated that while the government holds a critical view of cooperation with Russian state-owned entities, the decision was mandated by existing German nuclear laws. Officials noted that the government lacked a legal basis to reject the application, arguing that the appropriate mechanism for blocking such cooperation would be EU-wide sanctions.
Security Measures and Industry Rationale
The license includes specific conditions to address security and sabotage concerns, such as banning TVEL and Rosatom employees from entering the German facility and requiring external security audits for equipment and fuel rods arriving from Russia. Framatome stated the collaboration serves as an interim measure to help European operators of Russian-designed reactors diversify their supply chains until the company develops its own production technology.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by The Moscow Times.
