Europe is still quietly importing Russian nuclear energy

Russia's atomic substance manufacture remains conspicuously untouched by European sanctions much than 7 months into the Kremlin's warfare successful Ukraine — overmuch to the dismay of Kyiv officials and biology campaigners.

Despite 8 rounds of sanctions, targeted measures against vigor exports and calls from Ukraine to enforce a afloat embargo connected atomic trade, shipments of atomic substance to EU subordinate states proceed to marque their mode from Russia.

Ariadna Rodrigo, EU sustainable concern manager astatine biology radical Greenpeace, told CNBC via telephone that it is "absolute madness" for the bloc to proceed bankrolling the Kremlin by ignoring Russia's atomic substance trade.

"If EU governments are superior astir stopping war, they request to chopped the European atomic industry's umbilical cord to the Kremlin and absorption alternatively connected accelerating vigor savings and renewables," Rodrigo said.

On presenting its latest sanctions package, the European Commission did not suggest targeting the commercialized of Russian atomic fuel. The EU's enforcement limb has antecedently targeted Russian oil, state and ember arsenic portion of a broader strategy to ratchet up the economical unit connected the Kremlin.

Hungary and Bulgaria were the astir vocal successful opposing sanctions connected Russian uranium and different atomic tech past week, according to Rodrigo.

The committee has repeatedly condemned Russia's warfare successful Ukraine, accusing President Vladimir Putin of utilizing vigor arsenic a limb to thrust up commodity prices and sow uncertainty crossed the 27-nation bloc. Moscow denies weaponizing vigor supplies.

The fewer EU prohibitions connected Russia's atomic vigor assemblage that are successful place, specified arsenic a larboard entree prohibition connected Russian-flagged vessels for the transport of atomic fuel, incorporate galore loopholes and campaigners reason overmuch tougher measures are needed to trim the bloc's dependency connected Russian atomic services.

That sentiment is echoed by Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said successful aboriginal August that helium had spoken with European Council President Charles Michel astir the request for the EU to enforce sanctions connected the Russian atomic industry.

"Russian atomic panic requires a stronger effect from the planetary assemblage - sanctions connected the Russian atomic manufacture and atomic fuel," Zelenskyy said via Twitter astatine the time.

More recently, a apical economical advisor to Zelenskky doubled down connected this message, saying it was "extremely important to enforce sanctions, not lone connected Russian oil."

"Oil, gas, uranium and coal, each this should beryllium banned. Because they are utilizing this wealth successful bid to concern this war," Oleg Ustenko said successful precocious September, according to The Associated Press.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy successful London did not instantly respond to a CNBC petition for comment.

In April, a European Parliament solution called for an "immediate" embargo connected Russian imports of atomic substance and urged subordinate states to halt moving with Russia's state-run atomic elephantine Rosatom connected existing and caller projects.

But Russia is simply a ascendant subordinate successful the planetary atomic substance marketplace and immoderate determination to interruption the EU's reliance connected its services would apt beryllium acold from pain-free, peculiarly with Rosatom astatine the bosom of Europe's dependency.

Backed by Putin, Rosatom not lone dominates the civilian manufacture but is besides successful complaint of Russia's atomic weapons arsenal and is presently overseeing the occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness presumption successful Ukraine.

There are 18 Russian atomic reactors successful Europe, successful countries including Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. All of these reactors trust connected Rosatom for the proviso of atomic substance and different services.

Underlining the standard of Russia's atomic vigor power successful immoderate subordinate states, adjacent arsenic the Kremlin's onslaught successful Ukraine continues, Hungary successful precocious August announced the operation of 2 caller atomic reactors by Rosatom.

Moscow accounted for astir one-fifth (19.7%) of the EU's uranium imports past year, according to the latest disposable information from the Euratom Supply Agency. Only Niger (24.3%) and erstwhile Soviet republic Kazakhstan (23%) were bigger suppliers of uranium to the bloc.

The EU paid astir 210 cardinal euros ($203.7 million) to import earthy uranium from Russia past year, according to estimates reported by Investigate Europe, and different 245 cardinal euros was paid to import uranium from Kazakhstan, wherever mining of the atomic substance is controlled by Rosatom.

"We are talking astir a superior magnitude of wealth here," Greenpeace's Rodrigo told CNBC, noting that these estimates lone accounted for uranium imports and the EU's dependency covers services crossed the proviso chain.

Asked to what grade Europe's uranium imports from Russia undermines its efforts to promote others to halt importing Russian energy, Rodrigo replied: "The information that we are not discussing this decently conscionable shows the treble standards of the EU."

A spokesperson for the committee did not remark erstwhile contacted by CNBC.

Advocates of atomic powerfulness reason it has the imaginable to play a large relation successful helping countries make energy portion slashing c emissions and reducing their reliance connected fossil fuels.

However, critics reason that atomic powerfulness is an costly and harmful distraction to faster, cheaper and cleaner alternatives. Instead, biology run groups reason technologies specified arsenic upwind and star should beryllium prioritized successful the planned displacement to renewable vigor sources.

As portion of the EU's taxonomy — a mechanics that defines which concern options tin beryllium considered "green" — the bloc controversially recognized atomic powerfulness and gas, a fossil fuel, arsenic sustainable nether immoderate circumstances.

Austria connected Monday launched a suit against the EU and is seeking assistance from allies implicit the bloc's labeling of atomic powerfulness and state arsenic sustainable concern options, calling it "irresponsible and unreasonable."

The EU has acknowledged the ineligible action but said it would not remark connected the substance of the case.