The German federal government appears to be in favor of allowing an ambitious yet controversial nuclear‑fuel‑rod venture to take place on German soil, despite its partnership with the Russian state‑owned Rosatom. According to Politico, which cited two officials familiar with the assessment, Berlin plans to grant a conditional approval for a project in Lingen, Lower Saxony, where French nuclear firm Framatome intends to work with Rosatom.
Framatome’s subsidiary, Advanced Nuclear Fuels (ANF), wants to expand production at the Lingen plant from its existing fuel rods to also include hexagonal rods of Russian design. The company argues that collaboration with Rosatom is essential to achieve the required technology. As a result, several safety authorities-chiefly the Federal Environment Ministry (BMUKN)-have examined the proposal and submitted a comprehensive federal assessment.
The final decision, however, rests with the Lower Saxony environment ministry, which must confirm the project after receiving Berlin’s evaluations. If approved, ANF would manufacture the hexagonal rods in its Lingen facility, while TVEL, a Rosatom subsidiary, would provide the necessary equipment, know‑how and licenses.
ANF applied for a change of approval in 2022 to re‑equip the plant for this new production line. The federal assessment that now incorporates input from the Chancellery and the Interior Ministry gives the approval process a decisive push, as the state ministry has been awaiting these federal findings before it can make its own ruling.
When asked about the submitted assessment, the responsible federal environment ministry did not respond within the allotted time, according to Politico. The Chancellery and Interior Ministry, in turn, merely referred to the environmental ministry in their reply. The Lower Saxony ministry has said it generally does not comment on ongoing procedures, their duration, or particular investigations, but the stance of state environment minister Christian Meyer is known.
In December, Meyer warned that Germany’s earlier decision to allow Gazprom access to the Rehden gas storage had made it vulnerable during the gas crisis when Russian supplies were throttled. He cautioned that a similar political risk could arise now if Germany grants Rosatom access to sensitive nuclear technology in the Lingen fuel‑rod production line.
