Belgium Shut Down Another Nuclear Reactor

I don’t know what gives with some of these European countries.

It’s just as well they’re all anti-gun – they’d shoot themselves for real.

Belgium just shut down ANOTHER nuclear reactor last night.

It’s all so tiring.

In the dead of winter, enough cheap clean power for a million houses – gone.

Europe is intentionally destroying itself as America turns nuclear plants back on and prepares to build new ones. pic.twitter.com/zpPWZgYBCR

— Mark Nelson (@energybants) February 15, 2025

They did try to extend the life of the plant – Doel-1.

Unit 1 of the Doel #nuclear power plant has been taken offline for the final time after 50 years of operation and disconnected from the grid. Its closure is in line with Belgium’s 2003 nuclear phase-out policy https://t.co/0IDj051bxc pic.twitter.com/oXssJV7Qow

— World Nuclear News (@W_Nuclear_News) February 17, 2025

It had been humming along for fifty years. 

Unit 1 of the Doel nuclear power station to the north of Antwerp in Belgium has been permanently shut down, bringing the number of commercial reactors in operation in the country to four.

Doel-1 operator Electrabel, the Belgian subsidiary of France’s Engie, said the 445-MW Westinghouse-supplied pressurised water reactor unit was taken offline for the final time at 21:37 local time on 14 February after 50 years of operation.

Belgium used to have a fleet of seven commercial reactors, but two of them – Doel-3 and Tihange-2 – had already been shut down in 2022 and 2023, with Doel-1 now following.

The country had been exploring extending the life of their other reactors, but then the European Union stepped in with fits about ‘their rules.’

We all know how well those have worked out for everyone.

Belgium’s new government is looking to double its nuclear power capacity from 4 gigawatts to 8 GW by building new reactors, Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet was quoted as saying by financial daily Tijd on Tuesday.

…In December 2023, Belgium and French power group Engie reached a deal to extend the life of two nuclear reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3, which make up 35% of the country’s nuclear energy capacity.

However, this agreement triggered an EU competition investigation over potential breaches of the bloc’s rules.

Besides now floating dreams of new nuclear reactors, the Belgians are going to have to get off their duffs and do something if they don’t want to turn into the Germans.

And they are on track to shut down the perfectly functional ‘twin’ reactor of the one they turned off this week this coming November.

…The shutdown phase for Doel 1 will be slightly different to that for the other reactors, as Doel 1 and 2 are “twin” reactors that share certain systems, such as the control room and the engine room. These parts will only be shut down when Doel 2 is definitively decommissioned on 30 November.

Belgium will then have only two active nuclear reactors: Doel 4 and Tihange 3. Their operating period has been extended by 10 years until 2035 and the new federal government hopes to extend them for another decade. 

The government ‘hopes’ to be able to have their last two operating reactors have their service lives extended.

HOPES

I guess it hasn’t occurred to anyone in the government to tell Brussels to blow their ‘rules’ out a colling tower?

Didn’t think so.

They did have plans to invest in one of those big Green scheme Scandinavian ‘energy island’ projects the Danish have been fond of lately, but that came to naught thanks to time, money, and, well, reality constraints. They pulled out fo the project last August.

…As of today, it was another “IF” too far for the languishing Danish project – if Belgium was willing to pick up some of the excessive freight of paying for the project.

Alas.

The Belgians said they were out. Those partners folded their hand, left the game, and the Germans aren’t answering their phones.

Denmark will delay by at least three more years construction of a planned North Sea energy island to supply renewable power to three million European households, a government minister said on Wednesday, citing rising costs and high interest rates.

The projected investment exceeds 200 billion Danish crowns ($29.81 billion) and would require about 50 billion crowns in state support, Energy Minister Lars Aagaard told Reuters. He declined to say how much the cost had increased from original projections.

Just over a year ago, Denmark announced a previous delay, citing cost, of the artificial island that is designed as a hub for collecting and distributing power generated by surrounding offshore wind turbines.

Initially, it was planned as a Danish-Belgian project.

Aagaard said that was no longer viable following increases in raw materials prices and in interest rates, but it could be redesigned to include power cables linked to Germany, adding the earliest completion date was 2036 from a previous estimate of 2033.

The new government was elected last June but not formed until the 31st of January, which isn’t helping the situation in the least. Now that they have decided who’s willing to work with whom, the newly named ‘Arizona coalition’ (I have no idea why) is doing the scramble to come up with a plan. 

…”In terms of energy, the agreement provides for the development of a long-term strategy ensuring an affordable, safe and carbon-neutral energy mix composed of renewables, nuclear energy and other forms of carbon-neutral energy, which guarantees security of supply, affordability for citizens and businesses, and sustainability,” Les Engagés said. 

“It will also involve lifting the ban on the construction of new nuclear capacities in the very short term and taking all necessary measures to extend the life of units that meet safety standards. Specifically with regard to Doel 4 and Tihange 3, the agreement aims to extend their lifetime by at least 10 additional years in addition to the 10 years already agreed.”

The nuclear industry in Belgium was like, ‘Great, fellas – quit talkin, time’s wastin’.‘ 

BELGIUM ENDING NUCLEAR PHASEOUT

The new government has just agreed to scrap the 2003 phaseout law, the world’s most extreme.

Nuclear was half of Belgium’s power. The cheap half.

Now comes a nasty battle with the owner, a French gas company.

They want the reactors gone. pic.twitter.com/x6QcVR1THE

— Mark Nelson (@energybants) February 1, 2025

Particularly as the company that runs the reactors has made it abundantly clear they’re not keen on extending the plant operation past the ten years they’re already approved for.

…The agreement announced by the Arizona coalition partners was welcomed by the Belgian Nuclear Forum, saying it “puts the revival of nuclear power at the centre of its major concerns”.

The organisation said it was now “urgent” to set up a task force bringing together all stakeholders “who will enable this revival of nuclear power”.

“It is important that we get to work immediately so that this relaunch of nuclear power in Belgium is carried out on time and within the budget planned to deal with the electricity shortage announced, in particular by [transmission system operator] Elia,” it said. “We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past by working in separate silos. We call on governments at different levels of power (federal, community, regional and communal) to work together, in close collaboration with the task force mentioned above.”

The one thing you can say is at least the government’s moving in the right direction. 

It remains to be seen if they’ve gotten their act together in time and what the nuclear nemeses in Brussels will do to hamstring their lurch toward energy independence when they get moving on it.