Belgium will keep two of the nuclear power plants that would close in 2025 open longer. The government will let them run for another ten years now that the war in Ukraine, among other things, has made the alternative natural gas extremely expensive and uncertain.
Belgium argued for a long time about the closure of the power stations in Doel and Tihange, both not far from the Dutch border. The government parties have now agreed that they will try to extend the life of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors until 2035, energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten said.
At the end of last year, it seemed that all nuclear power plants in Belgium would close by the end of 2025. However, the war in Ukraine has changed those plans. In this way, the sky-high energy and gas bills are taken into account. “After years of uncertainty, we are securing supplies,” tweeted Belgian energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten.
While the Netherlands wants to get rid of gas as soon as possible, Belgium announced today that it will open two new gas-fired power stations. These are intended to prevent Belgium from ever running out of electricity.
In return, the Greens have negotiated that Belgium will invest an additional 1 billion euros in the transition to renewable energy. For example, extra investments will be made in sustainable energy in government buildings and the Belgian railway company NMBS, and there are ambitious plans with hydrogen.
crown jewel
Nuclear energy is a hot topic in Belgian politics. The current government coalition decided to continue with the ‘nuclear trip’, which had been planned years ago, the crown jewel of the Flemish Green and the Walloon Ecolo, and to temporarily deploy additional gas-fired power stations. But coalition partner after coalition partner and ally after accomplice changed his mind. The green parties also gave in to this.
The farewell to nuclear energy is being met with increasing resistance across Europe. The Netherlands and France, among others, want to build new nuclear power plants. Germany is one of the few remaining countries that seems to be holding out.
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