The government of the German federal state of Lower Saxony has authorized the implementation of a nuclear project linked to the Russian state corporation Rosatom, despite previous warnings about potential espionage and security risks. This was reported by Politico, according to UNN.
The plant will operate with Russian technologies
The authorization concerns permission for the French company Framatome to produce fuel assemblies and fuel rods of Russian design at a plant in the city of Lingen. The project will be implemented using key components supplied by TVEL, a subsidiary of the Kremlin-controlled Rosatom.
As the publication notes, it was the updated security assessment prepared by the German federal government that became one of the decisive factors for approving the project.
What restrictions were imposed due to Russia's involvement
At the same time, the permit includes a number of strict restrictions. Employees of Rosatom and TVEL are prohibited from visiting the facility, except in isolated cases when they will be under the supervision of the German nuclear regulator. Additionally, equipment will undergo extra inspections, and Framatome employees must adhere to special rules for interaction with representatives of Russian companies to prevent espionage, sabotage, and recruitment attempts.
The decision was criticized in Germany
Despite the issued permit, the Minister of Environment of Lower Saxony, Christian Meyer, stated that he considers the federal government's decision and the new security assessment "fundamentally wrong." According to him, however, the state authorities were forced to act in accordance with current legislation.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Environment stated that the final decision was made by the authorities of Lower Saxony, although the ministry itself had been involved in reviewing the project since 2022 and approved the final decision.
The permit also drew critical reactions in the German parliament. Foreign policy expert of the Christian Democratic Union, Roderich Kiesewetter, called for the revocation of the issued permit.
This decision poses a security threat and must be revoked
He added that the approval of the project in Lingen "can be regarded either as a successful Russian influence operation or as an incomprehensible display of irresponsibility."
Why the decision caused a stir
As Politico notes, the decision was made against the backdrop of the European Union's efforts to simultaneously reduce dependence on fossil fuels and abandon Russian energy carriers after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Despite the course toward energy independence from Moscow, the new project involves the use of Russian nuclear technologies, which has become the subject of sharp criticism from some German politicians and security experts.