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WorldBelgium considering a life extension of oldest nuclear reactors

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Belgium considering a life extension of oldest nuclear reactors

In light of the conflict in Ukraine, the Belgian government is considering whether to extend the lives of three nuclear reactors that were scheduled to shut down in 2025.

The  government has requested an evaluation to determine whether the nation’s three oldest nuclear reactors could be kept operational for an additional two years.

The government is set to inquire with the plant’s operator, Engie, as to whether it would be possible to postpone the closure of the 1975-opened plants Tihange 1 and Doel 1 and 2 until 2027 instead of 2025 as originally planned.

“The war in Ukraine and the problems in the French nuclear energy sector have made us look at ways to create more certainty and reduce risks in the energy supply,” Energy ministry spokesman Jonas Dutordoir said. “This could be part of the solution.”

Operational since 1975, the three reactors were initially set to be decommissioned in 2015 but had their lifetime extended until 2025 after Belgium held a review of its phase-out plan.

A delayed phase-out

Belgium has two nuclear plants, operated by French utility company Engie, with five reactors still working.

Belgium first decided on its nuclear phase-out in 2003 and it was scheduled to be completed by 2025. However, it decided last year to keep the newest plants open until 2035.

Belgium took one nuclear reactor, Tihange 2, off its power grid after 40 years on Tuesday evening as part of the country’s planned nuclear phase-out. The winding down of nuclear power began with the closure of a reactor at Doel, near the Belgian port city of Antwerp in September. 

Those two reactors were known for repeated safety issues, having been shut down on previous occasions after the discovery of cracks in reactor pressure vessels. The Belgian government had considered keeping those two reactors online because of energy concerns. 

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The German government and the German city of Aachen, which lies near the Belgian border have repeatedly called for the reactors to be decommissioned in the past.

In 2019, the European Court of Justice found that Belgium infringed European Union law by failing to carry out the required environmental assessments before prolonging the life of Doel 1 and 2 nuclear reactors.

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