The Flemish government is looking for four sites to build new SMRs, small modular reactors, daily De Tijd reports. “It’s a long-term project, but someone has to get it started,” said Flemish PM Matthias Diependaele (Flemish nationalist N-VA).
Climate & Environment
Flemish government hunting for sites to build 4 small nuclear reactors
Colin Clapson
Published:
The Flemish government is commissioning a study to identify potential sites Diependaele is telling a meeting of the ‘SMR Alliance, a partnership between the government, employers’ organisations, technology companies and investors.
SMRs, a technology still very much under development, are regarded as the nuclear power stations of the future. They will be smaller than existing power stations and built in modules. Europe aims to deploy them from 2030, but 2035 or 2040 seems more realistic, according to experts.
Construction won’t be happening overnight, Diependaele adds. “We won’t be starting the building ourselves just yet, but we do want to be the trailblazers,” he says. “It’s for the longer term, but someone has to start somewhere.”
Preparatory work is needed
That, then, is the aim of the SMR Alliance: to carry out as much preparatory work as possible. An initial study has already been conducted, listing all the challenges. A second study is now getting underway to identify potential sites.
Diependaele has not yet mentioned any potential sites. What we do know is that factors such as the presence of industrial clusters, connection to the electricity grid and access to cooling water will be considered. It must also be feasible in terms of spatial planning and environmental conditions.
“The intention is not to place them next to an SME zone or a residential area,” says Diependaele. He emphasises that everything is being done in consultation with the federal government, which is responsible for energy. The Flemish PM is also looking beyond the borders and hints at cooperation with the Netherlands.
“That way, we can spread the costs a little,” says Diependaele. He acknowledges that it will certainly be an expensive project, particularly in the beginning, but he expects the costs to fall gradually.
The SMRs are intended to make Flanders less dependent on foreign energy in the long term, a very topical issue. "Rising energy prices are once again forcing us to face the need for our own, and a greater, energy supply."