Protesters at German factory demand end to Russian uranium deliveries

Opponents of nuclear power in Germany have protested in front of a fuel element factory against an expected delivery of uranium from Russia, reported dpa.

The groups demonstrating in Emsland in the state of Lower Saxony demanded an "immediate stop to nuclear deals with Russia."

The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) last week confirmed the deliveries from Russia to the fuel element factory in Lingen in Lower Saxony. A BASE spokesperson said that this was based on contracts going back to 2021, but did not provide further details for what he said were safety reasons.

According to local anti-nuclear activists, the Russian ship with enriched uranium hexafluoride on board did not call at Rotterdam on Sunday, meaning that it is now on its way to France. This meant that there would be no delivery to Lingen on Monday, the activists said.

Among the 15 or so demonstrators was prominent Russian environmentalist Vladimir Slivyak.

"Stop cooperation with Russian regime, sanction [Russian state nuclear company] Rosatom!" he wrote on his Twitter feed.

"Rosatom has an active role in the Ukraine war: coordinating Russian troops in the occupation of nuclear power plants - very specifically in Zaporizhzhya," Slivyak said, according to a statement.

The Lingen factory, which belongs to French company Framatome, produces fuel elements for nuclear power generation across Europe.

It supplies nuclear power plants in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Britain, Spain, Sweden and Finland, among others.