After operating for 50 years, the nuclear power plant Doel 2, on the banks of the river Scheldt, was finally shut down on Sunday evening. It is the fifth Belgian reactor to be disconnected, after Doel 1 and 3, and Tihange 1 and 2.
Doel 3 was disconnected in 2022, Tihange 2 was shut down in 2023, Doel 1 in February this year, and Tihange 1 in October. Only the ‘youngest’ reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3, will remain operational for another ten years, until 2035.
The nuclear reactor Doel 2 officially started producing electricity on December 1st, 1975. After fifty years of electricity production, operator Engie shut down the reactor late Sunday evening and disconnected it from the high-voltage grid.
Shutdown
Now the shutdown phase can begin. The reactor will remain under pressure and at a specific temperature for the next few days, so it needs to cool down. After four or five days, the reactor can be unloaded. Then the fuel needs to cool for another two to three years before it can be evacuated from the buildings. Demolition is planned for 2039-2040, subject to the required permits.
Is there a concrete danger of a blackout now? Is the security of supply guaranteed?
“We have a safety margin for this winter, so there is no risk,” explains Minister of Energy Mathieu Bihet. “For this winter, there is no concern. Regarding our security of supply, there is no risk. We see it today in Elia’s figures; the risk lies over the next ten years. Why? Because in ten years, nuclear power will be phased out as currently planned. That’s why we want to work on bringing more nuclear power back into the energy mix because, as we see it, looking ahead to 2035, there is concern.”
Energy mix
In 2024, 42% of the electricity consumed in Belgium was generated by nuclear power. Starting Monday, this figure will decrease, but not necessarily by half, since we also import electricity produced by French nuclear power plants.
In any case, we will need more electricity in the future. This can be provided by more wind turbines and solar panels, along with battery storage and gas-fired power plants. But the latter are more harmful to the climate than nuclear power plants. Therefore, the government assumes that atomic energy will continue to have a place in our electricity supply for decades to come.
