The federal government reached an agreement to withdraw from nuclear energy on Thursday morning, according to the Belgian RTBF broadcaster. The so-called plan A was approved, which entails the cessation of nuclear reactors operations in 2025.
At the same time, Belgium is not going to completely abandon nuclear energy, investing about 100 million euros ($112.7 million) in small modular reactors, the broadcaster said, citing the second part of the agreement. This means the old reactors will be shut down, while investments will be transferred to a new generation of nuclear reactors, RTBF said.
The decision to abandon nuclear energy was made in Belgium in 2003, but a number of political forces and experts called for keeping at least two of the most modern reactors operational in order to avoid issues with electricity supply.
This photo taken on January 12, 2016 shows the cooling towers of Belgium's Doel nuclear plant belching thick white steam
© AFP 2023 / EMMANUEL DUNAND
In 2020, the Belgian branch of the French energy company Electrabel SA notified employees about its intention to stop allocating funds toward ensuring the longevity of nuclear power plants due to uncertainties surrounding nuclear phase-out in the country. The company feared that the remaining time would not be enough to complete a long series of steps for extending the operation of the reactors; thus it was decided to abandon all reactors by 2025, without waiting for the government's final decision.