Belgium has reached an agreement with the power company Engie to extend the operating period of the “Tihange 3” and “Doel 4” nuclear reactors, which were previously planned to be shut down, by 10 years.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo made a statement to the press after the Council of Ministers meeting.
Stating that an agreement was reached with the Engie company to extend the operating period of the “Tihange 3” and “Doel 4” reactors in the country for another 10 years, De Croo said, “The extension of the operation of these two nuclear reactors is very valuable for our security.” he used his word.
According to the agreement, the two reactors will be managed with a structure in which the Belgian state and Engie will be a partner.
A framework will be established to cover the cost of nuclear waste.
After this step, technical and financial studies will be carried out with the processes of obtaining environmental permits.
7 reactors meet half of the country’s electricity needs
In Belgium, there are a total of 7 reactors, 4 of which are at the Doel nuclear power plant near the Dutch end, and 3 at the Tihange nuclear power plant near the Germany and Luxembourg end.
The electricity produced by these reactors meets about half of the country’s needs under ordinary rules.
In accordance with the denuclearization law prepared by previous governments in Belgium, the Doel 3 reactor, which has been operating in the country for 40 years, was shut down in September and the number of active reactors was reduced to 6.
With the last agreement, the operating deadlines of the country’s Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors, which were built in 1985, will be extended for another 10 years.
Before the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Belgian government had prepared a plan to cease operation of nuclear power plants in 2025. However, due to the war and the power crisis in Europe, Belgium decided to extend the operating period of the nuclear power plants it planned to close for 10 years.
