A nuclear power project linked to Russian state company Rosatom in northwest Germany has been given the green light, albeit with strict conditions, according to Politico.
The Lower Saxony state environment ministry on the 22nd of July gave French company Framatome permission to produce Russian-designed nuclear fuel rods and spare parts in Lingen. The Franco-Russian project, which will be run by Framatome (a subsidiary of French state-owned EDF), will use key components from Russia, supplied by TVEL (a subsidiary of the Kremlin-controlled nuclear giant Rosatom). TVEL will not operate the plant itself. The plan has previously raised concerns in both the local and federal governments about espionage and security risks.
The announcement of the project’s approval includes sweeping conditions. For example, Rosatom and TVEL employees are banned from the plant. A spokesman for the Lower Saxony state environment ministry said permission to enter the plant would only be granted in exceptional circumstances and would be accompanied by a nuclear regulator representative.
It also stipulates that equipment supplied by TVEL and Framatome subsidiary ANF will have to undergo extensive security checks. Framatome employees will be subject to strict conditions regarding communication with Rosatom and TVEL employees, and
special attention will be paid to protection against espionage, sabotage and recruitment attempts.
The permission for the project comes at a time when the European Union seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels.
According to Lower Saxony state officials, the main reason for granting permission is an updated assessment by security authorities of Russia’s involvement and the proposed security requirements. The latest assessment was included in a report published by the federal government in February and was prepared under the supervision of the German environment ministry. Meanwhile, the assessments of the federal state governments have been much more critical.
Although the final decision on the Lingen project was made by the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment, its head, Christian Meyer, believes that the federal government’s approval and the revised safety assessment are “fundamentally wrong.” However, he had to accept them, as is customary in a country governed by the rule of law.
Meyer’s office said that the federal ministry had been asked whether the project application, even if strict conditions were applied, could be rejected on grounds of internal and external security. Berlin’s answer was unequivocal: based on the current risk assessment and the applied safety requirements,
there was no situation in which it was legally possible to refuse permission.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a foreign policy expert for the center-right Christian Democratic Union, called for the permission to be revoked, stating that the current decision poses security risks. He added that the approval of the Lingen project should be seen as either a successful Russian influence operation or a demonstration of unfathomable irresponsibility.
The German Environment Ministry denies responsibility for the decision, saying the Lower Saxony Environment Ministry is responsible for the investigation and assessment of the facts. Although regional ministries are subordinate to the state, they make their decisions independently.
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