Lower Saxony approves fuel elements for Russia from Lingen under strict conditions

In Lingen, the fuel element factory of the company Advanced Nuclear Fuels (ANF) is to be expanded so that fuel rods for reactors of Russian design can be manufactured there in the future. „Einen entsprechenden Antrag hat ANF laut Umweltministerium bereits im Jahr 2022 eingereicht", the ministry stated. ANF is a subsidiary of the French company Framatome.

What is to be produced in Lingen

The fuel elements in question are hexagonal components that are only used in former Soviet nuclear power plants. „Diese Werke stehen in mehreren osteuropäischen Ländern", the ministry explained. The French parent company Framatome wants to produce fuel elements of Russian design at the Emsland factory.

The approval is based on an assessment by the federal government from February of this year. „Laut Umweltministerium gab es infolge des ANF-Antrags ‚umfangreiche Prüfungen‘ im Austausch mit Bundesbehörden". Lower Saxony acted in the procedure on behalf of the federal government and was bound by its assessment.

Security concerns and criticism

„Diese seien insbesondere im Hinblick auf Gefahren für die innere und äußere Sicherheit durch die enge Kooperation mit Russland erfolgt", the Ministry of the Environment explained regarding the reviews. The Federal Ministry for the Environment had also obtained a legal opinion, according to its own statements. No details about the content or the result of this opinion were initially known.

Environment Minister Christian Meyer reaffirmed his rejecting stance even after the approval had been granted: „Diese Aussage bekräftige er auch nach der nun erfolgten Genehmigung". Meyer had described the business relationships as politically "grundfalsch" and called for reducing dependencies on Russia – especially in the sensitive nuclear sector. He announced that he would review the approval procedure "nach Recht und Gesetz im Auftrag des Bundes".

Position of the Federal Ministry for the Environment

Citizens' initiatives and environmental organizations had sharply criticized the plans in advance. „Sie warnen unter anderem vor russischer Spionage oder Sabotage", it was said. The critics see risks to the security of critical infrastructure in Germany through the close technological ties to a Russian state corporation.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment does not consider atomic law to be the appropriate instrument to politically prevent the cooperation. Instead, according to its view, EU-wide sanctions also for the nuclear sector would be necessary. With this, the federal government refers the political decision about the future direction of the cooperation to the European level.

The fuel element factory in Lingen belongs to the Framatome group and is thus part of an international corporation. The approval now granted concerns only the specific atomic law aspect of the planned expansion of production. Whether and when the first fuel elements of Russian design will actually be manufactured in Lingen remained initially open.

It is also unclear whether the federal government understands the approval as a political signal or whether it wants to initiate a tightening of sanctions at the EU level. Observers assess the process as a litmus test for dealing with economic interdependencies in the nuclear sector in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

The decision was made on the day of a report by Deutschlandfunk, which was broadcast on 22 July 2026. This has reignited the discussion about the security policy risks of cooperation with Rosatom – in the middle of a phase in which Europe is deliberating further sanctions against Moscow.