Fuel rods enriched with uranium are lifted from an Areva warehouse in Lingen: export controversial
Photo:Friso Gentsch / DPA
The controversial Belgian nuclear reactors Doel 1 and 2 also run on nuclear fuel rods from Germany. A nuclear power opponent from Aachen has now filed a lawsuit against the controversial export for the old power plants near the German border. A court spokeswoman confirmed receipt of the lawsuit.
Supported by an alliance of several anti-nuclear initiatives, it is directed against an export license for fuel elements from Lingen im Emsland issued by the responsible Federal Office for Economics and Export Control (BAFA), according to a communication from the alliance.
The fuel elements from Lingen in Lower Saxony can therefore continue to be delivered to the aging Belgian reactors in Doel near Antwerp, around 120 kilometers behind the border - and thus enable the old reactors, which have repeatedly been found to have defects, to continue operating.
Environment Minister has already proposed a ban on exports
The opponents of nuclear power want to prevent this by filing a lawsuit before the Frankfurt Administrative Court, where BAFA is based. They consider the more than 40 year old reactors too prone to failure and see an increasing risk of nuclear accidents that could affect regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.
The two identical plants Doel 1 and Doel 2 together provide around 880 megawatts and were connected to the grid in 1975. Like Tihange on the Maas, they pose a risk according to the environmental groups. Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) proposed a ban on the export of nuclear fuels to old nuclear power plants near the border at the end of 2019.
According to the anti-nuclear alliance, for the first time a German court has to deal with the safety of nuclear power plants in foreign countries near the border.
Belgium would like to continue to use the reactors to generate electricity and has decided to extend the service life. However, according to a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2019, this violates EU law.
Icon: The mirrorapr / dpa
