Belgium asks not to close its nuclear power plant, and the electricity company says “NO”. Just punishment for those who have not invested
Belgium has asked Engie SA to extend the life of its Tihange 2 nuclear power plant to secure energy supply and help offset the price increase this winter, according to BNN .
"The government has asked the nuclear operator to extend the operation of Tihange 2 until the winter peak is exceeded," Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in Brussels on Friday.
However, the French company has stated that there is a limit to the time in which the plant, located in central-eastern Belgium, can remain in operation.
Belgium and other European Union countries are taking emergency measures to secure energy supplies this winter as the blockade prepares for a potential reduction in Russian gas flows. Hungary said this week that it will ban energy exports in most cases starting August 1st. Germany could resort to rationing and corporate bailouts, while French President Emmanuel Macron has urged his country to reduce energy consumption.
Belgium's request is part of a winter plan that involves the use of Norwegian sources and the storage facility in Loenhout, in Belgium itself, to help meet the country's gas needs. Long-term measures include increasing transmission capacity in Zeebrugge, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and strengthening electricity supplies.
Extending the operation of Tihange 2 beyond the current legal close date – February 1, 2023 – is not feasible for technical reasons and nuclear safety constraints, an Engie spokesperson said by telephone, adding that the company is available. to provide explanations to the government.
The Belgian Minister of Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten, said that the extension of Tihange 2 will be only for the winter and that the goal is not to extend the life of the plant. In March, the government decided to extend the operation of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors for another 10 years, until 2035, to help ensure energy supply. Talks on these extension proposals are ongoing, Engie said.
Many countries have stopped investing in nuclear power and now find themselves running out of non-carbon energy sources in the emergency. Europe pays its own foresight
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The article Belgium asks not to close its nuclear power plant, and the electricity company says "NO". Just punishment for those who have not invested comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-belgio-chiede-di-non-chiude-la-sua-centrale-nucleare-e-la-compagnia-elettrica-dice-no-giusta-punizione-per-chi-non-ha-investito/ on Sat, 16 Jul 2022 06:00:06 +0000.