Brussels/Aachen (dpa/lnw) - The Belgian government and the energy company Engie have agreed on key data for a planned extension of the service life of two nuclear power plants near Aachen. The aim is to conclude a final agreement by the end of the year "so that our country can have sufficient electricity given the unstable geopolitical situation," Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Twitter on Friday.
The background to this is a decision by the Belgian government in March, according to which the Tihange 3 reactor near the German border and the Doel 4 reactor near Antwerp should continue to run until at least the end of 2035. A nuclear phase-out was originally planned for 2025. The Ukraine war and its effects on Belgium and neighboring countries played a role in the decision.
According to Engie, 2025 will be the end of the technical and legal operating time of nuclear power plants. With the current agreement, however, the reactors could be put back into operation in 2026, depending on the outcome of the negotiations.
In Germany, the seven Belgian nuclear reactors from the 1970s and 80s that are still in existence are a constant source of debate. Several defects were found in the reactors in the neighboring country, such as dilapidated concrete parts. In the past, the city of Aachen and the federal government have called for the nuclear power plants to be shut down. In Belgium, the nuclear phase-out was actually laid down in law in 2003, but the debate has dragged on for years.
