Uranium delivery from Russia on its way to Germany to supply Europe鈥檚 nuclear plants with fuel rods
dpa / n-tv
A delivery of uranium is on its way from Russia to Germany six months after the beginning of the war on Ukraine and the ensuing energy trading sanctions imposed by the EU, news agency dpa in an article carried by news station n-tv. 鈥淔urther transports are possible,鈥� as licences for the shipments granted in 2021 to the fuel rod factory in the northern German town of Lingen are still valid, the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) said. 鈥淭here is no uranium embargo at the EU level," an environment ministry spokesperson told the news agency. According to the shipment of uranium from Russia already embarked towards Rotterdam in the Netherlands, from where it will be transferred to Lingen over the weekend. The factory is owned by French company Framatome and has supplied nuclear plants in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Sweden and Finland.聽
Russia鈥檚 war on Ukraine has led Europe to try wean itself off the country鈥檚 fossil fuels. The EU, in accordance with western allies, agreed embargos on coal and oil and is largely phasing out Russian gas. Uranium is used to produce the fuel rods used in nuclear power plants. Nuclear power advocates say the technology can help Europe become more independent from Russia, arguing it provides a reliable low-emission source of energy that can support renewable power supply. Germany's economy ministry earlier this week announced that two of the country's remaining nuclear plants should go into an emergency reserve to support the grid if necessary until spring next year, when the country will phase-out nuclear power production for good. The proposal has come under heavy criticism.
