The reactor cooling system at the Doel nuclear power station has suffered a leak, although no danger is posed to the personnel or to the environment, the operating company Engie-Electrabel reported Saturday.
"A minor water efflux has been spotted in a reserve pipe line of the cooling system. The efflux is rather small, we are still well below the mark which would cause an automatic switch-off of the reactor. It does not affect security," the company’s representative noted.
According to Belga news agency, the leakage has surfaced in the nuclear part of the first energy block of the Doel nuclear power station, which was turned off out-of-schedule on April 23 for routine maintenance of its cooling system.
Given the high radiation level in this part of the reactor, maintenance works are hindered. The nuclear power plant reactor will remain unplugged at least till October 1, the agency concluded.
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Belgium houses seven nuclear reactors. Two Belgian nuclear power plants – The Doel, on of the oldest plants in Europe, and The Tihange, which feature four and three reactors, respectively, are capable of producing roughly 6 MW of electricity, catering to the needs of 55 percent of the country’s population.