# Nukem Technologies

NUKEM Technologies GmbH is a nuclear engineering company with a history dating back to 1960, specializing in nuclear decommissioning, radioactive waste management, spent fuel management, and TRISO fuel technology. After multiple ownership changes, it filed for bankruptcy in 2024 due to geopolitical pressures and was acquired by Japan's Muroosystems Corporation.NUKEM's headquarters is located in Karlstein am Main, the site of Germany's first nuclear power plant, where NUKEM itself carried out the decommissioning process and site restoration. This exemplifies the company's expertise and proven track record in nuclear decommissioning.

## History
### Founding and Nuclear Fuel Business (1960–2005)

NUKEM Technologies GmbH originated from NUKEM GmbH (Nuklearchemie und –metallurgie GmbH) , founded in 1960 by Degussa, Rio Tinto, and Mallinckrodt to manufacture nuclear fuel elements and trade nuclear materials. In 1969, its light-water reactor fuel business was transferred to KWU (Kraftwerk Union AG), shifting focus to uranium trading, waste management, and engineering services. In 1988, RWE AG fully acquired NUKEM, becoming its sole shareholder.

### Private Equity Ownership and Business Restructuring (2006–2012)

In 2006, RWE sold NUKEM to Advent International (via Advent Energy S.à r.l.) for €205 million. Following the acquisition, Advent International restructured NUKEM GmbH, retaining the nuclear fuel trade business under the parent company while spinning off its radioactive waste management, spent fuel management, and nuclear decommissioning engineering operations into an independent nuclear engineering subsidiary, NUKEM Technologies GmbH. In 2007, NUKEM divested several subsidiaries: NUKEM Ltd. (UK) to Freyssinet SAS (VINCI Group), NUKEM Corp. (USA) to EnergySolutions, and NIS Ingenieure (Germany) and Assistance Nucléaire S.A. (France) to Siempelkamp. In 2011, RWE spun off the isotope trading business into NUKEM Isotopes GmbH. In 2012, the nuclear fuel trade division NUKEM Energy GmbH was sold to Cameco for $136 million.

### Russian Ownership (2009–2024)

On 14 December 2009, NUKEM Technologies GmbH was sold to Russia’s Atomstroyexport for €23.5 million, integrating it into Rosatom’s nuclear industry group. In 2014, it established NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH as a subsidiary focused on nuclear decommissioning, waste management, and engineering services. Following the Russo-Ukrainian War’s outbreak in 2022, its Russian ownership led to market restrictions in Europe and North America, culminating in insolvency proceedings filed in Germany in April 2024.

### Japanese Acquisition (2024)

On May 29, 2024, Japan’s Muroosystems Corporation signed an agreement to acquire NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH and core assets of NUKEM Technologies GmbH from its insolvency administrator. The acquisition was completed in October 2024, with economic ownership transferred on September 25, 2024, following German government approval on September 9, 2024. NUKEM Technologies GmbH concluded bankruptcy liquidation in December 2024, with its operations fully transferred to NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH under Muroosystems’ ownership.

## Projects

NUKEM Technologies has undertaken several significant nuclear projects: - Construction of interim used fuel storage and solid waste facilities for the closed Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania. - A pilot fuel plant for South Africa’s pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) project, awarded in 2007 (later canceled). - Dry spent fuel storage facilities at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in Bulgaria. - Waste treatment and conditioning complexes at Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant, Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, and Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Russia and Ukraine. - Dismantling of the reactor block at Brennilis Nuclear Power Plant in France.

## Core Business Areas

* Nuclear Decommissioning
** Providing dismantling and remediation services for decommissioned nuclear power plants.
** Notable projects: Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant (Sweden), Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (Lithuania).
* Radioactive Waste Management
** Development of spent fuel storage facilities and waste processing solutions.
** Notable projects: Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (Bulgaria), Chernobyl Waste Processing Center (Ukraine).
* TRISO Fuel Technology
** With extensive expertise in TRISO fuel, NUKEM contributed to projects like Germany’s THTR-300 and China’s HTR-10, establishing itself as a key player in the global supply chain for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) and small modular reactors (SMRs).