France pushes for Russian nuclear partnership in Germany despite security concerns

A Russian state-owned company is set to become involved in nuclear fuel production within the heart of the European Union as part of a controversial French proposal currently awaiting approval from German officials.

The French-Russian joint venture, slated to manufacture nuclear fuel rods and assemblies in Lingen in northwestern Germany, is being pitched as a key component of EU energy security at a time when nuclear power is viewed as indispensable for transitioning away from fossil fuels.

However, this initiative coincides with the EU’s broader push to ban all energy imports from Russia. The proposal has sparked concern within regional and federal governments regarding the risks of espionage and other security threats.

German officials are expected to decide whether to approve the plans within the next few weeks.

The facility would be operated by Framatome, a subsidiary of the French state energy company EDF, utilizing Russian components supplied by TVEL, a division of the Kremlin-controlled nuclear giant Rosatom.

TVEL will not be directly involved in the facility’s operations but will supply the Russian-made components essential for the production of the nuclear fuel.

The Russian-designed fuel is currently utilized in 19 Soviet-era nuclear reactors across five EU nations in Eastern and Northern Europe, as well as in 15 reactors in Ukraine.

Framatome is lobbying intensely for German officials to approve the project, mobilizing the full weight of the French government—right up to President Emmanuel Macron—and arguing that what is good business for the company is also good for Europe.

Nevertheless, saying yes is politically difficult for Germany. Officials in Berlin are concerned about security risks and Russian espionage, with some warning against allowing a Russian firm to establish a foothold in the country.

German regional authorities must also approve the plan, and they are not particularly enthusiastic. Lower Saxony Environment Minister Christian Meyer is notably skeptical; his department holds the final authority for the Lingen project.

“Germany once allowed Gazprom access to critical energy infrastructure at the Rehden gas storage facility and became vulnerable to blackmail when Putin turned off the gas tap during the crisis,” Meyer told POLITICO.

Meyer warned that they risk repeating a similar mistake if they grant Rosatom access to sensitive nuclear technology for fuel element production in Lingen.

The project is currently under review by Germany’s environment ministry and national security agencies. POLITICO has examined how Framatome is quietly applying pressure behind the scenes to secure a decision from Berlin, even as the German government seeks to reach a legally watertight conclusion.

The collaboration between Framatome and Rosatom is not new. In 2021, the two companies signed a long-term partnership agreement for nuclear fuel production. They also established a joint venture in France, in which Framatome holds a 75% stake and Rosatom’s subsidiary TVEL holds 25%.

In March 2022, just weeks after the war began, Advanced Nuclear Fuels—a wholly-owned subsidiary of Framatome—applied to the Lower Saxony environment ministry for an atomic regulatory license to manufacture Russian-designed nuclear fuel assemblies in Lingen.

The company has spent more than three years working toward the goal of producing hexagonal fuel in Lingen using Rosatom’s technology and components. The company argues that this move will ultimately reduce dependency on Russia.

The French nuclear company’s project will ultimately lead to a “100% sovereign, genuine European solution.” Lionel Gaiffe, senior executive vice president at Framatome, told POLITICO, “Only Framatome can do this.”

“I am not saying it is perfect,” the executive added, but he argued that the project would enable Europe to reduce its reliance on Russian nuclear fuel “very quickly.”

The French firm’s project consists of two phases. Through the joint venture, it aims to reproduce the Russian design at its factories in Lingen and Romans-sur-Isère, France, using Russian-made components.

The Lingen factory will produce fuel for four VVER 1000 reactors located in Bulgaria and Czechia, while the French factory will supply fuel for 15 VVER 440 reactors in Finland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary.

In parallel, Framatome is working to develop its own in-house design and guarantees that the teams working on these two projects are “completely separate.”

Framatome insists that no Russian engineers have set foot in the Lingen facility and that contacts with representatives of the Russian firm have been limited since the start of the war in Ukraine.

“We can have discussions between Russia and France, make contact, and sometimes meet and argue. Everything we do is, by definition, done in conjunction with the relevant administrations and supervisory authorities. There is no doubt about that,” said Gaiffe.

On the other hand, an expert report commissioned by the German federal government in 2023 cast doubt on this explanation. The report warned that cooperation with Rosatom at the Lingen facility could pose serious threats to national and external security.

These threats include direct interference in the facility’s operations, influence over security-related decisions, intelligence gathering on internal processes, and risks of industrial espionage.

Referencing the report written by German academic Gerhard Roller, the Lower Saxony ministry requested classified assessments from federal ministries and agencies in 2024 during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s tenure, but the government collapsed before a decision could be reached.

The Lower Saxony government is awaiting updated assessments from federal agencies before deciding how to proceed in coordination with the federal environment ministry.

It remains unclear whether the federal government shares Lower Saxony Environment Minister Meyer’s critical view. According to individuals familiar with the process, there is sympathy for the project in Berlin.

Paris supports the project but is careful to remain cautious. “This is a highly sensitive subject. It is not something we want to advertise,” said a French official who requested anonymity.

Two individuals familiar with the discussions indicated that Merz and his French counterpart Macron discussed the Lingen issue once this year.

A French nuclear executive at EDF said the project could be summarized by a single question: “Should Russian fuel be replaced by French or American fuel?”

“This is a matter of a trade and economic war against the US,” the EDF executive added.

This perception is not limited to Paris. On the other side of the Atlantic, Washington’s strategic calculations are equally clear.

“The US is definitely not pleased about Russia entering Germany’s fuel element production market via Rosatom. This could backfire on Germany in the long term,” said Meyer.

Meanwhile, Framatome is lobbying German officials to influence the decision. According to Bundestag lobbying records, the company has commissioned the consultancy firm Berlin Global Advisors to lobby for the approval of the Lingen application in 2024.