Shutting Down the Nuclear Ties with Russia: A Tug-of-War Between Anti-Nuclear Activists and Political Decisions
Nuclear protestors anticipate the termination of partnerships with Russia - adversaries anticipate termination of collaboration in nuclear energy with Russia
the anti-nuclear faction is pulling hard to snap the collaboration rope between the Emsland town's nuclear fuel factory in Lingen and Russian nuclear corporations. Bettina Ackermann from the anti-nuclear organization Ausgestrahlt squeaks, "The plan of the Russian nuclear authority Rosatom to delve into the production of nuclear fuel in Lingen conflicts squarely with the EU Commission's ambitious goals." The new federal government, she urges, must reject the project, period!
The EU Commission, for its part, wants to chuck the Russian gas out of the European Union's backyard by the end of 2027. By June, according to leaked plans disclosed in Strasbourg, concrete strategies aiming for this ideal will be handed down to the member states. In the atomic energy realm, the commission sees itself proposing measures against Russian imports of enriched uranium and limiting new contracts for uranium, enriched uranium, and other nuclear materials from Russia.
In 2024 alone, almost 69 tons of uranium hailed from Russia and landed in the Lingen nuclear facility. Last year, despite the Russian war in Ukraine, the amount swelled by around 66 percent compared to the previous year, as Lower Saxony's Ministry of the Environment revealed upon request. Lower Saxony's Environment Minister, Christian Meyer (Greens) from way back in 2025, told the press that the goal is to slash the reliance on uranium from Russia. "We must embrace sanctions," Meyer thundered, daring to look the Russian president in the eye, Putin. Doing business with this "war demon," especially in the sensitive atomic sector, Meyer insisted, must be a no-go.
The nuclear fuel factory in Lingen belongs to French state-owned company Framatome. ANF GmbH, Framatome's subsidiary, based in Lingen, also seeks to produce nuclear fuel for Russian reactor types on the premises. The French and the Russians, it seems, have a hot potato situation brewing here.
From the background of the collusion comes the fact that Framatome established a joint venture in 2023 with TVEL, a Russian subsidiary of Rosatom, calling it European Hexagonal Fuel SAS. This joint venture aimed to manufacture fuel assemblies for VVER-type reactors at Lingen. These VVER reactors required specific fuel supplied primarily by Russian entities. After Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the joint venture was restructured, with Framatome taking full control of production in Lingen, but still, the operation subsequnctly runs under TVEL's Russian license, allowing Rosatom a tight technological grip and commercial shares in the proceedings [1].
The emotional resistance mounted by anti-nuclear activists has significantly influenced public opinion and decision-makers. This opposition, nevertheless, delays the approval process, putting the already foreseeable permit decision under scrutiny [2]. In the European arena, the commission sticks to a delicate balancing act, pushing for energy diversification while allowing some Russian cooperation to prevent disruptions. The jury is still out on the future of the Lingen factory's nuclear ties with Russia [3][4].
In summary, anti-nuclear activism and EU regulatory complexities have brought the Lingen factory's connections with Russian nuclear corporations to a standstill, though the geopolitical implications have prevented a complete uncoupling, leaving the tie in a precarious state.
- The EU Commission is advocating for the phasing out of Russian gas from the European Union by 2027, and in the realm of atomic energy, they plan to propose measures against Russian imports of enriched uranium and limit new contracts for uranium, enriched uranium, and other nuclear materials from Russia.
- In the political landscape, the commission is walking a fine line, aiming for energy diversification while allowing some Russian cooperation to prevent disruptions.
- The anti-nuclear faction is fiercely opposing the collaboration between the Emsland town's nuclear fuel factory in Lingen and Russian nuclear corporations, arguing that it conflicts with the EU Commission's goals.
- The nuclear fuel factory in Lingen, owned by the French state-owned company Framatome, is involved in a complicated situation with Russian entities, as it still operates under TVEL's Russian license, giving Rosatom a technological grip and commercial shares in the proceedings.
