Exit from the nuclear phase-out: The federal government wants to invest in the nuclear company Urenco

rtr | According to media reports, the federal government ‌wants to invest in the nuclear company Urenco for geostrategic reasons. As the Welt and the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday, the federal government wants to acquire a third stake in the fuel element manufacturer. To date, Great Britain and the Netherlands each hold a third of the shares. Another third belongs jointly to the energy companies Eon and RWE. The federal government and the corporations declined to comment.

Eon shares rose on Friday and, with an increase of 1.5 percent, were one of the biggest winners in the German stock index Dax. RWE shares gained 0.3 percent. It was known that the two companies were considering exiting Urenco. RWE has stated several times that it is interested in selling its minority stake. Eon boss Leonhard Birnbaum had emphasized that the company could only consider a sale with the approval of the federal government.

During the deliberations on the 2027 budget, a new item became known: “Expenses in connection with the acquisition and holding of investments in companies in the energy sector: 4 billion euros,” the template said. The federal government did not want to say what this was about.

Die Welt reported, citing insiders, that the energy suppliers wanted to sell their stake for two reasons. On the one hand, the investment in a fuel element manufacturer no longer has any strategic value for the companies after Germany's nuclear phase-out. In addition, at the request of Great Britain in particular, Urenco, which has previously focused on civil nuclear energy, is also becoming increasingly active in the military nuclear sector.