Greenpeace has raised concerns regarding France’s ongoing shipment of reprocessed uranium to Russia, emphasizing moral implications amidst rising international tensions due to the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine. The environmental organization asserted that although the trade is legal, it contradicts the increasing sanctions imposed on Russia since its invasion began in 2022.
On a recent Saturday, Greenpeace activists documented the loading of approximately ten containers marked with radioactive labels onto the cargo ship Mikhail Dudin in Dunkirk. This Panamanian-registered vessel is routinely used to transport enriched or natural uranium from France to St. Petersburg. Notably, this particular shipment marked the first instance of reprocessed uranium being sent in three years, according to the NGO.
Pauline Boyer, head of Greenpeace France’s nuclear campaign, criticized the trade, stating, “It is not illegal, but it is immoral.” She urged the French government to terminate its partnerships with Rosatom, the Russian state-owned enterprise that has maintained control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine since 2020.
The French state-controlled energy company, Electricite de France (EDF), entered a significant 600-million-euro ($700 million) agreement in 2018 with a subsidiary of Rosatom, committed to recycling reprocessed uranium. This arrangement has remained unaffected by the international sanctions aimed at Russia due to the ongoing conflict.
Rosatom operates the only facility globally that can complete the essential steps for the conversion of reprocessed uranium into enriched reprocessed uranium, located in Seversk, Siberia. With global uranium prices on the rise, the practice of reprocessing is becoming increasingly attractive for energy companies seeking to maximize resources. However, Greenpeace noted that only about ten percent of the reenriched uranium returned to France from Russia is utilized at the Cruas nuclear power station, the sole facility in France capable of processing enriched reprocessed uranium.
Despite inquiries, France’s energy ministry and EDF have yet to respond regarding the recent shipment or the underlying trade dynamics. In early 2022, following Greenpeace’s revelations about the contracts, the French government directed EDF to suspend its uranium transactions with Rosatom. By March 2024, France indicated that it was “seriously” considering the establishment of its own facility to produce enriched reprocessed uranium, reflecting a shift in its energy strategy amidst growing geopolitical pressures.
