- Belgium will shut down its two nuclear power plants by 2025. According to media reports, the multi-party coalition has agreed on this. The gradual phase-out of nuclear power has actually been a law in Belgium since 2003.
- After the latest negotiations, Belgium is now keeping a back door open. Although the two power plants with the seven reactors are to be shut down, the government plans to invest 100 million in research into new nuclear technology.
- She wants to concentrate on so-called “small modular reactors”.
The controversial issue had kept the seven parties in the government alliance on their toes for weeks. Belgium currently still has two nuclear power plants located in Doel in Flanders and Tihange in Wallonia. In the German border region around Aachen, the atomic plant in Tihange in particular caused protests again and again, as it is considered to be prone to failure.
The total of seven reactors in Belgium are operated by the French utility Engie. According to media reports, however, the decision by the government in Brussels does not provide for an end to nuclear power per se, as Belgium wants to invest 100 million euros in researching new technologies.
Energy bottlenecks not yet resolved
The country wants to concentrate primarily on a new reactor concept known in technical jargon as Small Modular Reactors (SMR). According to the German Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, SMRs could achieve safety advantages over nuclear power plants with a high output, as they have a lower radioactive inventory per reactor.
With the end of the old generation of reactors in Belgium, the question remains of how the resulting energy bottlenecks can be avoided. Gas-fired power plants are considered an option. A decision on this should be made by March 2022.