Urenco: Federal government apparently interested in investing in nuclear company

The Strategic Investment Federation apparently wants to invest in the nuclear company Urenco

The fuel element manufacturer Urenco has fallen somewhat out of sight after Germany's nuclear phase-out. However, Berlin now sees the company as an important factor when it comes to nuclear weapons.

According to media reports, the federal government wants to invest in the nuclear company Urenco for geostrategic reasons. As the “Welt” and the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported, the federal government wants to acquire a third stake in the fuel element manufacturer. To date, Great Britain and the Netherlands each hold a third of the shares. Another third belongs jointly to the energy companies E.on and RWE. According to reports, the federal government and the companies declined to comment.

The E.on share price rose by 1.5 percent on Friday, making it one of the biggest winners in the Dax. RWE shares gained 0.3 percent. It was known that the two companies were considering exiting Urenco. RWE has stated several times that it is interested in selling its minority stake. E.on boss Leonhard Birnbaum had emphasized that the company could only consider a sale with the approval of the federal government.

During the deliberations on the 2027 budget, a new item became known: "Expenses in connection with the acquisition and holding of investments in companies in the energy sector: 4 billion euros," the template said. The federal government did not want to say what this was about.

The “Welt”, citing insiders, reported that the energy suppliers wanted to sell their stake for two reasons. On the one hand, the participation in a fuel element manufacturer no longer has any strategic value for the companies after Germany's nuclear phase-out. In addition, Urenco, which has previously focused on civil nuclear energy, is also becoming increasingly active in the military nuclear sector at the request of Great Britain in particular.