German authorities announced on Wednesday their approval of a controversial nuclear project involving French and Russian companies. The joint venture between Framatome's subsidiary ANF and Russia's Rosatom aims to produce fuel rods for Russian-designed reactors. The project will be based at Framatome's facility in Lingen, Lower Saxony.
ANF submitted the application in March 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Despite Lower Saxony's Environment Minister Christian Meyer's opposition, citing security concerns, the ministry approved the project as there are no sanctions against Rosatom.
One condition of the approval is that Rosatom employees can only enter the site in limited cases and must be accompanied by relevant inspectors. The approval can be revisited if new security risks arise. Critics, including Roderich Kiesewetter from Chancellor Merz's CDU party, argue the project poses a security threat.
The Greens party also opposes the project, fearing it will allow Moscow to gather sensitive information. Germany, a major supporter of Ukraine, remains vigilant against potential Russian hybrid warfare. The project is crucial as several former Soviet states and Finland require fuel for their Soviet-era nuclear plants.
