nuclear-news

Belgium shuts down one reactor, in line with its “40 years life” rule for nuclear reactors

One of Belgium’s seven nuclear reactors
was disconnected from the grid on Friday evening. This follows legislation
passed in 2003 requiring reactors to be shut down after 40 years of
operation.

Belgium has two nuclear power plants: Doel near Antwerp and
Tihange near the town of Huy in Wallonia. The two plants consist of seven
reactors (four at Doel and three at Tihange) covering around 50 percent of
the country’s electricity needs, according to the news website Euractiv.

On Friday, the Doel 3 reactor was disconnected from the power grid in
accordance with the 2003 Nuclear Abandonment Act. The law was passed at the
insistence of the “green” parties that were part of the government at
that time. The legislation stipulates that reactors are to be shut down 40
years after being put into operation. A spokeswoman for the energy company
Engie, which operates Belgium’s nuclear power plants, Nele Scheerlinck,
stated that “the decision was made years ago” and “it is simply not
possible to change plans at such short notice”.

 TVP World 24th Sept 2022

https://tvpworld.com/62949498/belgium-turns-off-nuclear-reactor-despite-energy-crisis

September 26, 2022 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, politics