The Belgian government is attempting to buy seven nuclear reactors, five of which have been shut down for almost four years. That is a radical and unexpected move, says VRT News energy specialist Luc Pauwels.
‘Work was already underway on the decommissioning of Doel reactor 3 and Tihange reactor 2, but apparently there are still options on the table.’
Pauwels emphasises that the federal government had been negotiating with French energy company Engie for some time to keep Tihange reactor 3 and Doel reactor 4 open for longer. There was a deal for a 10-year extension, but the government wanted more and Engie did not agree to that.
‘So now the government is taking a radical turn and is looking to buy the entire nuclear fleet. They don’t have any nuclear engineers of their own, so they’ll have to outsource the management. The government will, however, be able to decide what happens with the reactors.’
The cost has not yet been mentioned. ‘In principle, those reactors are written off and you could buy them for 1 euro cent. But the negotiations will take into account what investments still need to be made.’