Engie Electrabel remains determined to obtain the permit for the Vilvoorde gas-fired power station, although the deadline of mid-March is becoming tight. The energy giant further emphasizes that the so-called plan B, to keep two nuclear power stations open longer, is impossible.
The federal government wanted to make the decision on the nuclear phase-out before Christmas. But that final decision has now been postponed to March. In the coming weeks, both Plan A (nuclear phase-out) and Plan B (nuclear extension) will be prepared in parallel, although several ministers emphasize that the chance is “unlikely small” that the nuclear power plants will remain open longer.
The major stumbling block arises with the permit for the construction of the gas-fired power station in Vilvoorde. Flemish Minister for the Environment Zuhal Demir (N-VA) refused Engie Electrabel a permit for that 850 MW power station. The French company recently announced that it would submit a new license application. However, the March deadline is becoming tight, as it often takes months before the relevant authorities make a decision.
Engie Electrabel remains determined to obtain the environmental permit. “It is a competitive project, with as little impact on the environment as possible,” said spokeswoman Hellen Smeets. “We hope that the difficulties encountered in the past will be resolved by March. If we don’t meet the deadline, we will look at all possibilities to still keep our project within the possible options.”
We have already stated several times that the technical, legal and regulatory restrictions do not make it possible to keep the two reactors open until 2025.
If track A, the complete nuclear phase-out, comes to a dead end, the government wants to look at all other options, such as extending the reactors of Doel 4 and Tihange 3. But according to Engie, that cannot be an option. “We have already stated several times that the technical, legal and regulatory restrictions do not make it possible to keep the two reactors open in 2025,” concludes Smeets.
Finally, Engie emphasizes that it remains committed to the energy transition in Belgium, by investing further in, among other things, renewable energy, hydrogen and gas-fired power stations.
Several environmental organizations have also indicated that fully implementing the nuclear phase-out is “the only possible way forward”. According to Greenpeace, Bond Beter Leefmilieu and Inter-Environnement Wallonie, possibly keeping Doel 4 and Tihange 3 open for longer will seriously jeopardize nuclear safety.
Employers’ organizations also remain concerned now that the final decision has been postponed.
Also read: What will the nuclear power plant of the future look like, and why don’t we build it?(+)
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