Belgium has agreed with French company Engie to extend the operating life of two of its nuclear reactors by ten years. Reuters reported the news, citing an announcement by the Belgian prime minister today. According to the agency, the war in Ukraine has changed Belgium’s plan to phase out nuclear power by 2025 and rely more on natural gas. In 2021, nuclear power accounted for 52 percent of Belgium’s energy mix.
Doel 4 and Tihange 3 are the newest of the six reactors in operation in Belgium. Their operating lives were due to expire in two years. However, after the necessary work, they will be restarted in November 2026 and remain in operation for ten years. Last autumn, Belgium shut down the Doel 3 reactor.
„Extending the operation of these two nuclear reactors is essential to ensuring our energy security,“ Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said at a press conference today.
This article is a machine translation of the Czech original and has not yet been fully reviewed. In case of any doubt, please refer to the Czech version.