Two Belgian nuclear power plants may be operated longer. (archive image)
“With these decisions, work on the extension of the two youngest nuclear power plants can begin tomorrow,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo at a press conference on Monday evening.
The extension is crucial to ensure security of energy supply over the next ten years. According to De Croo, half of the Belgian state and half of the operator Engie should participate in the project.
The Belgian government had already decided in March of last year that the Tihange 3 reactor near the German border and the Doel 4 reactor near Antwerp should continue to operate until at least the end of 2035. The implementation was still being negotiated with the operator Engie. A nuclear phase-out was originally planned for 2025. The Ukraine war and its effects on Belgium and neighboring countries played a role in the decision. According to a statement, the aim is now to put the two reactors back into operation in winter 2026 after the work required for the extension.
In Germany, the Belgian nuclear reactors from the 1970s and 1980s repeatedly sparked debate. Several defects were found in the reactors in the neighboring country, such as dilapidated concrete parts. In the past, the city of Aachen and the federal government have called for the nuclear power plants to be shut down. In Belgium, the nuclear phase-out was actually laid down in law in 2003, but the debate has dragged on for years. Six reactors are still connected to the grid, a seventh was switched off last year.
(SDA)