Kremlin-controlled "Rosatom" cooperates with the French Framatome to produce nuclear fuel.
Russian State Corporation “Rosatom” continues its collaboration with the French state-owned company Framatome SA to produce fuel for reactors that supply electricity to 100 million people in eastern Europe.
Bloomberg writes about this.
Despite the sanctions, Moscow beat the West and according to the results of 2023, a record import of Russian fuel for European reactors will be recorded, the publication writes.
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia still use Russian technologies.
“The Kremlin's influence in nuclear markets continues unabated two years after the invasion of Ukraine, and new data suggests record trade in 2023. Even as Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron trade military threats, engineers both countries are jointly making plans for the future of their nuclear industries,” the material says.
European heads of state, including Macron, will meet on March 21 at an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) summit in Brussels, where they will discuss ways to strengthen nuclear fuel supply chains.
Last year, the French company Framatome SA created a joint venture with the Russian fuel company TVEL (“a subsidiary of Rosatom” – ed.), and this new entity is seeking permission from the German government to operate.
The Framatome plant is located in Lingen, Germany, where more than 10 thousand residents have already expressed their disagreement with these plans.
In Germany they believe that cooperation with a Russian company on German territory could open the door to spies or potential sabotage.
“Rosatom's plan in Germany raises questions about how effectively Western supply chains are managing to diversify away from Russia,” said Daria Dolzikova, a nuclear trade researcher at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London.
The majority owner of Framatome is Electricite de France SA.
Previous attempts to expand production at Lingen raised suspicions, prompting a review by German regulators in 2021. Framatome's latest effort sparked public outrage after a plant manager told local lawmakers that Russian engineers would oversee the plant's operations.
“We must reduce Russia's influence in the energy sector,” – said local minister Christian Meyer. He said he would consult with federal authorities in Berlin about potential security concerns.
Framatome's Lingen plant already produces fuel for reactors in the UK, Belgium and Sweden.
“This danger is not only hypothetical, but also involves a foreign state-owned company whose leader is not only waging an aggressive war in Europe against international law, but also openly threatening to use nuclear weapons,” the legal opinion says professor and environmental lawyer Gerhard Roller.
Through the partnership with Russia, Framatome expects to accelerate the commercialization of VVER fuel, since it will be identical to what Rosatom supplies to the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
Recall that The US Congress held hearings on sanctions against Rosatom.
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