Greenpeace takes nuclear reopening to Council of State

Environmental organisation Greenpeace has begun a legal action before the Council of State against the decision by the federal government to extend the operations of nuclear reactors Doel 1 and 2 in Beveren, East Flanders, by 10 years.

On Monday, the government announced that it had come to an agreement with electricity provider Electrabel regarding the prolongation of the two reactors. Prime minister Charles Michel was quoted as saying the agreement would “guarantee Belgium’s energy supply”.

The government had already agreed to extend the operations of the two reactors to 2025, but Electrabel and parent company Engie had to agree. Agreements with Electrabel include the fee it must pay to operate the reactors, which have long since recouped their initial cost.

In 2013, the fee came to €422 million. In 2015 and 2016 it was reduced – to €200 million and €150 million respectively – to take account of the closure of Doel 3 and 4 and Tihange 2. Engie claims it has cost €600 million to make Doel 1 and 2 fit to continue and demands a serious discount on the fee.

Greenpeace argues that the Council of State has already ruled that the reactors cannot be continued without public consultation and a new environmental impact report. The production licence for Doel 1 expired in February, lawyer Johan Verstraeten said, and a whole new licensing procedure needs to be started.

The organisation also argues that the extension is technically unjustified, with safety requirements being reduced from “the highest possible safety level” required by the federal nuclear energy regulator (FANC) to “the safest reactors in Belgium”.

“A whole series of essential modernisation works have been cancelled or postponed into the distant future,” said Jan Vande Putte, energy campaign director for Greenpeace. “The government may want to step blindly into an extremely weak deal with Electrabel, but we are not prepared to let that happen.”