NUCLEAR: Belgium

It appears that Belgium has joined Germany and Sweden in adopting a commitment to phase out nuclear power. In March 2002, Belgium’s inner cabinet voted to approve legislation aimed at phasing out the nation’s nuclear power plants between 2015 and 2025. Individual plants would be phased out after 40 years of service. At the same time, the Belgium Council of Ministers decided to phase out the commercial production of nuclear power in Belgium. In December 2002, Belgium’s House of Representatives passed legislation to close the nation’s 7 reactors after 40 years of operation, with the first one going out of service in 2015 and the last in 2025.

In January 2003, the Belgian Senate voted to phase out all of the nation’s nuclear power units not longer than 40 years after their entry into service. Belgium’s efforts to close its nuclear units could prove difficult, however, in that nuclear power currently provides more than 50 percent of its electricity production. No other nation as dependent on nuclear power as Belgium is has committed to a complete phaseout of its nuclear plants.

Electricity consumption in Belgium has grown only slowly since 1990. Per capita consumption is 8186 kWh/yr. Nuclear energy provides 55% of the country's domestically-generated electricity - about 45 billion kWh per year.

Most Belgian electricity is produced by Electrabel, a private company which also operates the nuclear plants. A small amount is from SPE, a public corporation which owns a 4% share of four reactors.

In 1962 the country's first small nuclear power reactor was commissioned at Mol - the 11 MWe prototype BR-3 PWR, which was imported from the USA. This was the first pressurised water reactor built in Europe.

In 1965 Synatom was formed as a syndicate for design of large nuclear power plants. It is now a joint subsidiary of Suez-Tractabel and Electrabel but as of 2003 will become a subsidiary of Electrabel only.

In 1966 the Franco-Belgian 305 MWe Chooz A prototype plant was commissioned just across the border in France, and it was decided to build the Doel 1 & 2 and Tihange-1 plants in Belgium, the last being a Franco-Belgian project. These were commissioned in 1974-75 and upgraded in 1985 to improve seismic and other safety.

In 1974 a further four reactors were ordered for Doel and Tihange sites. It was decided in 1988 not to proceed with a eighth unit, which was to be a 1400 MWe N4 type at Doel jointly owned by EdF and Electrabel.

Belgian companies provided about 80% of the systems and equipment for the country's nuclear facilities, though both Westinghouse and Framatome contributed.

Operating Belgian power reactors

In addition, Belgian utilities have a 25% share in output of two 1455 MWe Chooz B units operated by EdF in France, effectively adding 727 MWe. Reciprocally, EdF owns half of Tihange-1.