Luxembourg joins Germany in asking for Doel closure

The director-general of nuclear regulator Fanc, Jan Bens, is “completely at ease” about the safety of the country’s nuclear power stations, he told TV programme De zevende dag at the weekend. One of the disputed plants, Doel 3, was re-opened yesterday, despite protests from Germany and now Luxembourg.

Bens said that it was perfectly usual for industrial installations to close down from time to time. Since Belgium has seven reactors, such incidents regularly make the news, but that doesn’t mean the plants are not safe, he said, noting that “there are no technical reasons to be concerned”.

Doel 3 was closed in 2012 when microscopic cracks were found in the reactor’s concrete casing. The reactor was powered up again last November, after three years of research by experts from Belgium and abroad proved it was safe in even emergency situations, Bens argued.

Last week the German government asked for Doel 3 and Tihange 2 in Wallonia to be closed down again to allow the cracks found in both plants to be investigated further. At the weekend, Luxembourg joined in that call.

But the conclusion of the investigation already done “is unequivocal,” said Bens. “They will hold up.” More tests, he said, would not change the conclusion.

Meanwhile, the German Green party has proposed a new law allowing their parliament more say on nuclear safety. “A radioactive cloud does not stop at the border,” the party said.

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