Europe’s nuclear power plants continue to be customers
Habeck wants to end Russian uranium imports
February 17, 2024, 4:04 p.m
Russia continues to supply Europe with both gas and uranium and fuel for nuclear power plants. After the death of Alexei Navalny, the German Economics Minister is questioning this again. France is not the only customer.
In light of the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck has reopened the debate about an EU import ban on uranium and fuel elements from Russia. While Germany has stopped Russian energy deliveries, there are “still uranium deliveries from Russia or from Rosatom to European nuclear power plants,” Habeck told the Welt TV broadcaster on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. “Basically, it doesn’t work.”
Within the EU, France in particular relies on nuclear power. Critics point out that the country obtains much of the uranium it needs from the Russian company Rosatom and from Russia and CIS states such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Many eastern EU states also have Soviet-designed nuclear power plants and rely on Russian-made fuel elements.
The numerous EU sanctions packages against Russia since its attack on Ukraine have so far neither included uranium nor fuel elements. However, the EU has so far only officially restricted other energy imports from Russia where it hurts less: especially oil and coal. Russian natural gas continues to flow through pipelines, primarily to southeastern European countries.
According to Russian authorities, 47-year-old Navalny collapsed and died on Friday in the penal colony in Charp in the polar region. The death of the staunch Kremlin critic and most prominent opponent of President Vladimir Putin caused consternation, especially in Western countries.