The authorities of Lower Saxony in Germany have granted permission to the Advanced Nuclear Fuels plant (a subsidiary of the French company Framatome) in Lingen to produce Russian sample fuel in partnership with Rosatom, which can be used in nuclear power plants operating with Soviet and Russian technologies (Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria).
The project has faced severe criticism from environmentalists and several German political parties, who labeled it a "safety roulette" and accused Berlin of providing Moscow with secondary leverage.
In response to concerns, the government has set special conditions: access for Rosatom employees to the plants is only allowed in exceptional cases and under escort, while Russian equipment and software must be strictly isolated from the plant's information infrastructure.
