PARIS (Agefi-Dow Jones)–The gas and electricity supplier Engie announced on Friday evening that it would take part in the reflection underway in Belgium about the extension of the activity of two nuclear power plants, but warned that this decision presented “significant constraints”.
Engie “will contribute to this reflection, by studying with the government the feasibility and the conditions for implementing the solutions envisaged at this stage”, indicated the group in a press release.
The Belgian government announced on Friday its decision to “take the necessary measures to extend the life of two nuclear reactors by ten years”. Entered into service in 1985, these two reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3, were to be shut down in 2025, the date previously scheduled for Belgium’s exit from nuclear power.
“This extension should make it possible to strengthen the independence of our country vis-à-vis fossil fuels in a chaotic geopolitical context”, indicated the Belgian government as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
For Engie, which operates these reactors, the Belgian government’s decision raises “significant safety, regulatory and implementation constraints, especially since this extension would take place even though the dismantling activities on neighboring units will have started” .
Such an extension “thus presents a risk profile which exceeds, by its unpredictability and by its magnitude, the normal activity of a private operator”, warned Engie.
“The scheme adopted should allow for a structural alignment of the interests of the stakeholders as well as an adequate sharing of risks and opportunities”, continued the group.
-Alice Doré, Agefi-Dow Jones; +33 (0)1 41 27 47 90; [email protected] ed: VLV
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March 21, 2022 02:49 ET (06:49 GMT)