Russia’s nuclear center in Lower Saxony

At least when it comes to nuclear power, Russian President Vladimir Putin still has more than one foot in the European door.

It concerns three red containers that appeared on the site of the fuel element factory in Lingen, Lower Saxony, in mid-April and which, according to the Russian portal kedr.media, arrived in Rotterdam on a cargo ship from Russia – containers without any dangerous goods labeling.

Environmentalists therefore assume that this is not one of the usual uranium deliveries. They suspect that the containers contain equipment for expanding the production of nuclear fuel elements in the factory, which is owned by a subsidiary of the French company Framatome. Residents of the small town report that Russian-speaking visitors have been regularly entering and leaving the factory premises for some time. It is suspected that these are fitters or instructors from the Russian state-owned company Rosatom, who are preparing the expansion of production, although no approval has yet been given by the state government.

“Risk of acts of sabotage”

Framatome assured the ZDF magazine Frontal that not a single Russian would be on the factory premises during the production of fuel elements. Nevertheless, environmentalists warn of the danger of future Russian acts of sabotage or even terrorism on the site. Alleged Rosatom technicians could spy on it. But above all, they warn of the French-Russian business strategy that may lie behind it.

“Framatome wants joint production with Rosatom,” says Vladimir Sliwjak from the exiled Russian environmental organization Ecodefense. “They want to produce fuel elements in Lingen for the whole of Europe – apparently not only for old Soviet nuclear reactors that are located in Eastern Europe and Finland, but also for reactors of western design, for example in Switzerland or the Netherlands.” While Europe has drastically restricted gas and oil imports from Russia, its dependence on Rosatom threatens to grow.

Moscow’s position on the global nuclear energy market is impressive. According to the New York Times, Rosatom controls 46 percent of uranium enrichment capacity. According to the energy economics research group Bruegel, the EU sourced 30 percent of its enriched uranium from the Russians in 2022.

Uranium price quadrupled

In addition, nuclear power is booming, whether in China, Japan, South Korea or Turkey. Fuel is in demand, and uranium prices have quadrupled on the world market in the last four years.

This may be one of the reasons why there have so far been no EU sanctions against Rosatom or even a ban on imports of its enriched uranium. According to experts, both Europe and the USA lack the production capacity to replace the radioactive ore from Russia. There are 18 Soviet or Russian reactors in five EU countries, and two more are under construction in Slovakia and Hungary.

Since February 2022, the Finns and Czechs in particular have been trying to replace Rosatom with other fuel suppliers such as the US company Westinghouse, at least partially. But the Czechs also ordered from Framatome – which could soon supply them with Russian fuel again.

Reactors in Eastern Europe

Experts see the state monopoly Rosatom, like Gazprom before it, as an economic policy instrument with which the Kremlin wants to draw other states into its sphere of influence. Hungary, for example, where the Soviet Union built four nuclear reactors that produce around 50 percent of Hungary’s electricity.

Sliwjak says that through the planned joint venture with Framatome, Rosatom could increase its annual exports to the EU from an estimated one billion euros by 50 percent. And it is apparently cheaper for the Russians to transport enriched uranium to Lingen than finished and more dangerous fuel rods. “At home, they will produce fuel rods for third countries, for China, Bangladesh or Egypt. Lingen is to become Rosatom’s new fuel rod hub for Europe.”