Rosatom Link Sparks German Nuclear Lawsuit

The German environmental organization Bund Niedersachsen has filed a lawsuit against the state of Lower Saxony, seeking to revoke the permit for the expansion of the nuclear fuel plant in Lingen.

The lawsuit challenges the approval granted to a subsidiary of the French company Framatome to manufacture fuel rods under a licensing agreement with Russia’s Rosatom. The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment granted the permit with conditions, despite concerns related to the war in Ukraine. It claims there was no legal basis for denying the permit.

The Bund, together with the anti-nuclear group .ausgestrahlt, argues that procedural errors occurred during the approval process and that Rosatom’s involvement poses a security risk. According to them, the environmental assessment was based on outdated documents, and the role of the Russian company was not fully disclosed in the supporting materials.

Bund leader Olaf Bandt pointed out that the machines supplied by Rosatom are also used in quality control during production, which, in his view, could allow for manipulation.

Berlin views the cooperation critically, but he believes that any restrictions should be part of EU sanctions.

(Reuters, mja)