Belgium rescinds legislation halting nuclear power generation

Belgium rescinds legislation halting nuclear power generation

Nuke's Back: Belgium's Dramatic U-Turn on Nuclear Energy

"It's a new ball game," exclaims Belgium's Federal Energy Minister, Mathieu Bihet, in weekly Le Vif. The man's got a point – for two decades, Belgium was set on phasing out nuclear energy, but that's all changed now.

"For far too long, nuclear energy has been shunned across Europe due to archaic dogmas," Bihet asserts. Seems like the winds are shifting – not just in Belgium, but also in Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, even Germany.

Bihet's proposal to revamp nuclear energy policy received backing from the coalition's parties: the Flemish nationalists N-VA, the French-speaking liberals MR, the humanitarian party Les Engagés, the Flemish socialists Vooruit, and the Christian democrats.

This legislative change carries massive symbolic weight and aims to remove obstacles for both public and private investment in Belgium's nuclear sector. But here's the kicker: the company operating the power plants, Engie Electrabel, has shown no interest in renewing their concession. Now, the government's on the hunt for a suitable substitute.

Belgium boasts seven nuclear reactors, spread across Doel (East Flanders) and Tihange (Liège). The Doel power plant houses four reactors that went online between 1975 and 1985, one of which was shuttered in 2022, two due to hit their expiry dates in 2025, and the fourth granted a ten-year extension to 2035, though the government aspires to keep them operational longer. Tihange, on the other hand, has three reactors from the same era, with one permanently shut down since 2023.

"A fact that speaks volumes: an environmental minister (Tinne Van der Straeten) extended Doel 4 and Tihange 3 by ten years in the last legislature," Bihet commented. Meanwhile, Belgium commenced construction on a new nuclear reactor powered by a particle accelerator in 2024, set to generate 100 times less waste than a conventional nuclear reactor and contribute to cancer research.

A 2023 Ipsos poll revealed that 69% of Belgians support extending reactor lifespans by a decade, while 57% back more nuclear power plants.

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Sources:1. Belgium begins construction of small modular nuclear reactor2. Belgium scraps nuclear phase-out plan and invites private investment3. Doel nuclear reactors to keep running past planned shutdown date4. Belgium votes to end nuclear power phaseout law5. Belgium lifts nuclear phase-out ban, resurrecting plans for new reactors

1. The government's support for revamping nuclear energy policy and opening opportunities for both public and private investment in the sector indicates a potential shift in finance and industry focus towards nuclear energy in Belgium.
2. As Belgium considers constructing a new nuclear reactor powered by a particle accelerator, contributing to cancer research and generating significantly less waste, it seems there may be a growing alliance between the government, science, and energy sectors in promoting nuclear power.

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