Belgium will extend the period of operation of 2 nuclear reactors
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo made a statement after the signing of the agreement between Engie and the Belgian government, which sets out the terms for the extension of the operating periods of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors.
“Engie and the Belgian government have agreed to extend the operations of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors for 10 years,” De Croo said, adding that the agreement is very important for the security of energy supply for homes and businesses.
De Croo said the deal will strengthen electricity supply, reduce the country’s reliance on foreign energy and ensure low-cost, low-carbon electricity production.
“This agreement aims to distribute the risks in a balanced way between the parties and eliminate uncertainties with respect to all nuclear waste,” says the Engie company statement on the subject.
THE REACTORS WILL BE READY IN NOVEMBER 2026
With the agreement, the nuclear reactors in question will be ready no later than November 2026. In addition, the parties will work and make intensive efforts to restart the 2 reactors in November 2025.
The reactors will be managed with a structure in which the Belgian State and Engie will be partners.
The nuclear waste management costs of the expansion will reach 15,000 million euros.
The sum of Engie’s obligations with Belgium for the dismantling of nuclear waste and power plants will be 23,000 million euros.
CHANGE IN POSTWAR POLITICS
A total of 7 reactors were operating in Belgium, 4 at the Doel nuclear power plant near the Dutch border and 3 at the Tihange nuclear power plant near the German-Luxembourg border. The electricity produced by these reactors normally covered around half of the country’s needs.
Before the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Belgian government had prepared a plan for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants by 2025.
In accordance with the decisions of previous governments, the Doel 3 rector was closed in September last year and the Tihange 2 reactor was closed at the end of January this year.
On the other hand, Belgium decided to extend the operational period of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors, which it had previously planned to close in 2025, by 10 years to avoid power supply shortages.
The reactors whose operating periods have been extended are known as the nuclear facilities that the country last built in 1985.
Both have electricity generation capacities in excess of 1,000 megawatt-hours. (AA)