The demolition permit for two cooling towers at the nuclear power plant in Tihange, near Huy in the province of Liège, has been suspended following an appeal. Operator Engie wants to proceed quickly with the dismantling. Still, the federal government and Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet (MR) are reluctant to allow it because they want to restart at least one reactor.

Meanwhile, SCK CEN, the Belgian nuclear energy research center, has signed a cooperation agreement with several international partners to construct a new small nuclear reactor. The aim is to build a test facility in Mol by 2024.

The Walloon Minister of Spatial Planning must decide

Normally, demolition work on the cooling towers in Tihange would start in September, but the Walloon Public Service has now suspended the permit. Among others, the eco-modernist environmental movement WePlanet and the municipality of Huy had appealed.

They believe that no irreversible steps should be taken regarding Belgium’s nuclear power plants.

WePlanet views nuclear energy as a necessary low-carbon energy source to achieve climate targets. The municipality of Huy, on the other hand, fears that after demolition, the site will remain a derelict, “contaminated” area for years to come, without any new economic use.

Stopping the demolition of the cooling towers of the Tihange 1 and 2 reactors, as first reported by De Tijd, suits the De Wever government well. Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet wrote a letter to Engie asking it to refrain from demolishing the cooling towers, but it was brushed aside.

The French group is only willing to fulfil the contract with the previous government and keep the two youngest nuclear reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3, open until 2035. It wants to permanently dismantle the power stations to avoid maintenance costs and stifle legal discussions about a restart.

The ball is now in the court of Walloon Minister of Spatial Planning François Desquesnes (Les Engagés), who must give a final ruling on the matter. Until then, nothing van be demolished. Desquesnes and his party have long been highly critical of the complete nuclear phase-out in 2025.

New lead-cooled SMR

There is also positive news from Mol for supporters of nuclear energy in Belgium. SCK CEN wants to build a new lead-cooled SMR there with its Italian and Romanian counterparts ENEA and RATEN, the French company Newcleo, and the Italian company Ansaldo Nucleare.

By cooling the reactors with lead instead of water, as is usually the case, the technology would work even faster and more efficiently.

SMRs are small modular reactors that produce less energy than large power stations, generate less nuclear waste (though this is a major point of debate), and are easier to build.

The first construction should be completed by 2034. The reactor, with a capacity of 350 megawatts, will serve as a research and testing facility and as a “technology demonstrator”.

The first commercial SMR is scheduled to be rolled out and put into operation in 2029. “This is more than a research project,” says Pieter Baeten, Director-General of SCK CEN, who also spoke of a “concrete project that supports Europe’s future energy security and innovation capacity.”

“Important milestone”

Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet, who was criticized last month for the standstill in the dossier of extending the life of nuclear power plants, is delighted with the collaboration. “This is an important milestone for our country and for the future of energy in Europe.” Bihet spoke of a “European story” and emphasized the importance of energy independence, which he believes has become even more critical amid global geopolitical uncertainty.

According to Bihet, Belgium must fight on three fronts simultaneously to guarantee security of supply in the future. One of these fronts is extending the lifespan of existing nuclear power plants.

Negotiations with Engie are still ongoing, the minister confirmed to press agency Belga. “But at the same time, we must also focus on new technologies and the construction of new reactors. We cannot wait until one dossier is completed before starting on the next,” Bihet said.

The federal government has allocated an initial research budget of 100 million euros. Still, thefinal construction of a prototype will cost billions, for which no definitive budget has yet been set.