In Germany, the last three nuclear power plants are to be shut down in April. Our neighbors in Belgium have decided to take a different approach: we are now considering letting the old reactors run longer.
The Belgian government is examining whether the country’s three oldest nuclear reactors can be operated for two more years until 2027. The analysis should be carried out by the end of March, the Belgian news agency Belga reported on Friday, citing government circles. The controversial Tihange 2 reactor near the German border was only taken off the grid on Tuesday after 40 years.
Now it is about three reactors that have been in operation since 1975 and were originally scheduled to be shut down in 2015. In the course of earlier reviews, their term was already extended to 2025. The background to the most recent considerations are concerns about the security of energy supply in Europe. Two other Belgian nuclear reactors are scheduled to run until 2035.
