Belgium to Lengthen Lifetime of Nuclear Reactors for One other Decade

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By Lyubov Pronina

(Bloomberg) —

Belgium’s authorities will work to increase the lifetime of two nuclear reactors past their unique shutdown date of 2025 to safe provide amid report excessive power costs.

The power ministry will negotiate with operator Engie SA to delay the operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors for an extra 10 years up till 2035, the federal authorities mentioned in a press release. It’s going to submit the draft invoice on extension to the Council of Ministers by the top of March and in addition plans to spend 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to finance its transition to local weather neutrality.

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“This extension ought to enable to strengthen our nation’s independence from fossil fuels in a chaotic geopolitical context,” the federal government mentioned.

The announcement comes as a part of a plan by the power ministry that features measures to speed up transition to renewable power for the nation, which imports greater than 90% of its main power. It additionally marks a revision of earlier plans to close nuclear reactors, a step additionally being thought of in Germany, in response to doable power provide disruption after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Belgium earlier foresaw a progressive closing of Engie’s seven nuclear vegetation — which offer about half of the nation’s electrical energy — by 2025, changing them with a mixture of recent gas-fired energy stations, renewable energy, battery storage and electrical energy imports. Engie, which might be anticipated to submit a long-term plan for the reactors, had beforehand mentioned that the timing set out by the Belgian federal authorities isn’t appropriate with the authorized, regulatory and operational problems with such an extension challenge.

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The choice to increase the operational lifetime of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors raises vital security, regulatory and implementation constraints — notably since their operational lifetime could be prolonged as soon as work on dismantling the adjoining items would have already begun, Engie mentioned in a press release late final night time.

“Engie will contribute to this rethinking and can work with the federal government on finding out the feasibility and the implementation circumstances of the options envisaged at this stage,” it mentioned.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo advised reporters late on Friday that the federal government has all the time negotiated with Engie in a respectful method and prior to now discovered means to align pursuits between the 2.

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“It’s clear if we handle to increase past 2025, it will likely be a great factor,” De Croo mentioned. “There may be a whole lot of work to do.”

Belgium may also make investments 100 million euros over the following 4 years to develop nuclear power by means of small modular nuclear reactors, in accordance with the plan.

Below its transition plan, the federal government will enhance funding in offshore wind, hydrogen and photo voltaic power in addition to cooperate with neighboring nations, whereas aiming to make Belgium a hub for the import and transit of inexperienced hydrogen.

In the meantime in Germany, which has lengthy deliberate to exit atomic power, the invasion of Ukraine has prompted requires delaying the nuclear phaseout. 

EON SE and EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG mentioned they’re keen to debate a doable extension of operations. Whereas holding the vegetation open previous the 2022 closing deadline is technically doable, the businesses mentioned they haven’t any contracts to purchase nuclear gas after that and the federal government might encounter a backlash from voters and environmental teams alike.

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