Because of cooperation with Rosatom: Lawsuit against expansion of fuel element factory

The expansion of the nuclear fuel factory in Lingen in the Emsland region associated with Russia's entry will be a case for the judiciary. The environmental association BUND and other initiatives have filed a lawsuit against the state of Lower Saxony with the Lower Saxony Higher Administrative Court (OVG). It is directed against the approval granted in July by State Environment Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) to manufacture fuel rods for Russian or Soviet-style nuclear power plants with the help of the Russian state-owned company Rosatom. The OVG confirmed receipt of the lawsuit to the taz.

Russia is continuing its war of aggression against Ukraine and dangerous sabotage attempts are increasing in Germany, says BUND chairman Olaf Bandt, explaining his association's resistance to the plan. While the European Union is trying to stop the Russian shadow fleet, Rosatom in Lingen is simultaneously gaining access to critical infrastructure.

Since both production and parts of the quality control in Lingen were carried out using machines supplied by Rosatom, production and testing could be manipulated. This raises serious security and foreign policy questions. “Nuclear infrastructure in Germany must not become a gateway for Russian state interests,” says Bandt. “Any nuclear cooperation further cements dependence on Russia.”

From the perspective of the lawsuit alliance, the environmental impact assessment process does not meet the legal requirements. The preliminary examination was “incomplete” and based on outdated documents, explains Lower Saxony BUND state chairwoman Susanne Gerstner. In addition, Rosatom's participation was not fully disclosed in the application documents. In doing so, the French operator of the fuel element factory violated applicable law and withheld important information from the public.

According to the plaintiffs, the conditions associated with the approval - such as a general ban on Rosatom employees entering the factory - neither provide effective protection nor solve the fundamental problem of the cooperation with Rosatom. “How are requirements supposed to eliminate safety concerns if the partner himself is the problem?” asks Bettina Ackermann from the anti-nuclear organization Ausgestrahlt.

The fuel element factory in Lingen is operated by ANF, a 100 percent subsidiary of the French Framatome GmbH. The plant is already more than 45 years old and – like the uranium enrichment plant in Gronau, Westphalia – has an unlimited operating license regardless of Germany's nuclear phase-out. Both plants also process uranium supplied from Russia.

The lawsuit alliance sees the cooperation between the fuel element factory and Rosatom as further evidence of Europe's nuclear dependence on Russia: Despite 21 sanctions packages against the country, there are still no sanctions in the nuclear sector.