France restarts shipments of reprocessed uranium to Russia after three-year pause

By Martin Foskett | Newswire | Knelstrom Media

​PARIS, FRANCE -- France has resumed shipments of reprocessed uranium to Russia for the first time in more than three years, a move that has drawn environmental scrutiny and geopolitical eyebrows.

According to Greenpeace France, at least 10 marked containers of reprocessed uranium were observed being loaded at the port of Dunkirk and bound for the Russian port of Ust-Luga aboard the cargo vessel Mikhail Dudin. ​

​The material in question is spent-then-reprocessed uranium from French reactors that is sent to Russia's facilities for further treatment, including conversion and re-enrichment. Only about 10% of the returned enriched material is reportedly used in France's reactors, with the remainder, according to critics, being downgraded waste.

France's nuclear cycle is built around the so-called "closed cycle": after fuel is used in reactors, plutonium and reprocessed uranium are recovered for reuse.

Since 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a tightening of sanctions, such transfers had been suspended, creating a hiatus of more than three years. The recent shipment signals a resumption of business as usual, at least in part.

Industry players such as Orano (France) and Rosatom (Russia) have been involved in the chain, in which France sends reprocessed uranium and Russia undertakes the complex work of conversion and re-enrichment before returning a fraction of usable material.

The loading operation took place with little fanfare, and the ship departed midday on 15 November. But the optics are significant. Greenpeace described the move as "immoral", pointing out the disconnect between France's stated aim of bolstering strategic independence from Russia and the operational reality of transporting nuclear material to Moscow's orbit.

Critics raise several issues:
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• Security and transport risk: Shipping containers of radioactive reprocessed uranium through northern European waters to Russia involves hazards.
• Transparency: Greenpeace has asked French authorities for clarity on the quantities exported since 2022 and the terms of the contract.
• Strategic independence: France's president has spoken of reducing reliance on Russia for critical supply chains; this shipment suggests one channel of dependence remains open.

The nuclear-fuel market remains heavily reliant on Russian processing infrastructure. Even as many Western supply chains are being reconsidered in the wake of the Ukraine war, nuclear-material cycles are lagging in their adjustment. The resumption of this French-Russian flow underscores the complexity of disentangling nuclear-fuel dependencies.
In France, about 35,000 tonnes of reprocessed uranium are reportedly held in stockpiles; some of that backlog appears destined for export unless alternate domestic capabilities scale up.

It remains to be seen how the French government will respond to the criticism. The transport was documented, but official comment has been limited. French authorities may face pressure to disclose contract details, volumes, and the end use of the material.

For environmental groups and confident policymakers, this shipment will become a touch-point for debates about sovereignty, nuclear waste, and export regulation. Meanwhile, the nuclear industry will watch whether this signals a full resumption of a dormant route, or just a one-off manoeuvre done quietly.

In either case, the restarting of this uranium flow serves as a reminder: in the high-stakes world of nuclear fuel, supply-chain entanglements often persist even when geopolitics shifts.