Germany approves Lingen nuclear fuel plant with Russian‑linked technology

The Lower Saxony environment ministry approved the expansion of the nuclear fuel plant in Lingen, north‑west Germany, to produce VVER‑type fuel rods for reactors in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and other Central European states. The plant will be operated by Advanced Nuclear Fuels, a subsidiary of the French group Framatome, and will rely on a licence and know‑how from Russia’s TVEL unit of Rosatom.

Environment minister Christian Meyer, a Green party member who opposes nuclear power and Russian cooperation, signed the permit after the federal ministry deemed the project legal because Rosatom was not on the EU sanctions list at the time. German authorities imposed strict conditions, including a ban on Russian staff, external safety audits of TVEL equipment, and measures against espionage.

The decision has drawn criticism from politicians and media across Europe, who argue that it merely masks continued reliance on Russian nuclear technology despite the EU’s effort to reduce it. About twenty Russian specialists were reported to have arrived in Lingen to install equipment, a point that has been both confirmed and denied by Framatome in different statements.