DiXi Group advocates to stop the creation of a new instrument of Russia’s energy influence on the EU
DiXi Group’s General Manager for Security and Sustainability Olena Lapenko met with the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Protection of Lower Saxony, Christian Meyer. During the meeting, they discussed the risks of the agreement between the French company Framatome and the Russian company TVEL (a subsidiary of Rostom) on joint production of nuclear fuel in Lingen, Germany.
“Cooperation with the Russian nuclear giant threatens the energy security of the EU countries. Equipment and components will be supplied from Russia: German media report that the equipment has been delivered, and Russian specialists are already present in Lingen. This means that the production chain will be fully controlled by Rosatom. At a time when the Russian Federation is waging a full-scale war against Ukraine and conducting nuclear blackmail on its territory, this prospect looks like a direct threat to the internal security of the EU and its partners,” said Olena Lapenko.
The fuel elements to be produced in Lingen will be intended for Russian-designed nuclear power plants (pressurised water reactors VVER) operated in the EU. The French company needs to obtain a licence to start operations. The relevant application was submitted to the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection of Lower Saxony in 2021.
However, the Minister himself, Christian Mayer, is concerned about cooperation with Russian nuclear corporations in Germany and points to possible security threats. Therefore, he advocates a thorough check and compliance with the entire decision-making procedure.
“It is still clear to me that we have to reduce Russia’s influence on the energy sector and prevent it from becoming even stronger. There will be no security discount for Putin’s Russia,’ said Christian Meyer, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection of Lower Saxony.
During the conversation, the General Manager presented to the Minister DiXi Group’s analytics, which contains information on Rosatom’s crimes at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, as well as an analysis of the risks associated with Russian nuclear technologies in Europe.
The publication was prepared by the DIXI GROUP NGO with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the project ‘Improving Energy Security for Tomorrow’. The material reflects the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.
