Nuclear power: EU Commission examines Belgian aid for lifetime extension
Belgium wants to extend the lifetimes of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 by ten years and support the operator in doing so. The EU Commission is examining this.
(Image: Electrabel)
The EU Commission is examining whether the Belgian government's planned support for the lifetime extension of two nuclear reactors is permissible. Specifically, this concerns Doel 4 and Tihange 3, whose operating lives are to be extended by ten years. The Belgian state wants to support operator Electrabel financially, among other things.
The Belgian state wants to establish a joint venture with Electrabel and contribute 2 billion euros as a shareholder loan and capital to cover the costs of the necessary investments. In addition, the Belgian state will provide financial support mechanisms. According to the EU Commission, these include pre-financing of Electrabel's costs and expenses for development activities, a loan of around 580 million euros and a guarantee to ensure operating cash flow.
In addition, Electrabel's liabilities in connection with the long-term and final storage of radioactive waste and spent fuel are to be transferred to the Belgian state in return for a lump sum payment of 15 billion euros. This is in addition to risk sharing and legal protection in the event of future legislative changes affecting operators of nuclear power plants in Belgium.
Justified, but questionable
"Although the Belgian measure appears justified at this stage, the Commission has doubts as to its compatibility with EU state aid rules," the EU Commission announced. It has therefore decided to initiate an in-depth investigation.
In March 2022, the Belgian government decided to extend the service life of the two reactors by ten years. Doel 4 and Tihange 3 have been in operation since 1985 and have a combined capacity of 2 GW. According to the Belgian nuclear phase-out decision of 2003, these two youngest of Belgium's seven reactors were supposed to be shut down by 2025 at the latest, like the others.
Doel is 150 kilometers and Tihange 70 kilometers from the German border. In summer 2021, the city of Cologne signed a resolution opposing the lifetime extension. The resolution, which was initiated by the Aachen region, stated that the Doel site had been the subject of controversial debate for years due to various safety concerns. The region had already prepared for a possible nuclear accident with iodine tablets in 2017. In 2018, the then Federal Minister for the Environment, Svenja Schulze, informed the Belgian minister responsible that she considered extending the operating times of nuclear power plants to be the wrong approach.
(anw)
