Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

  Chances of turning off the lights in the country to rationalize consumption have become very weak following an agreement reached between the Belgian government and the French energy company ENGIE to extend the service life of the Tihange 3 and Doel 4 nuclear power plants for an additional ten years. This is how the Belgian Prime Minister commented on the matter in remarks Tuesday to Radio One, adding that he was convinced that supplies would remain guaranteed. “The chance of the light going out is very small,” he said. “Something outside the control of the operator can always happen, but everything is organized to ensure the security of supply.”
For her part, Energy Minister Tini van der Straeten stressed on Radio 1 that the extension of life is indeed a very complex process, but the deal with Engie is more than a statement of intent, she said. And "it is about the obligation of all parties to use all the resources they have to achieve a goal Mutual."
  De Croo welcomed the agreement, defending it, saying: It is very binding, and made it clear that under this agreement, the life of the two newest reactors in the Belgian nuclear fleet (Dowell 4 and Tihang 3) will be extended for the next 10 years, starting from November 2026 under the responsibility of "Engie". and the federal state.
He said that the agreement took into account the harmonization of interests, as the Belgian state owns 50% of the shares, so from now on, decisions will be taken from Belgium, and not from other European capitals, and concluded that the agreement will make it possible to guarantee electricity supplies and reduce prices, and that the cost of nuclear energy is in his face General longer than gas.
 
It is noteworthy that negotiations between the federal government and the French "Engie" had been launched several months ago regarding the extension of the "Dowell 4" and "Tihang 3" reactors for a period of 10 years in order to ensure safe electricity supplies to the country, and last July, the two parties reached an agreement in principle. "Letter of intent" It was expected to reach a final agreement by the end of last year, but it failed.
 
According to the "letter of intent", both reactors will be operated in October and November 2026, so that energy security in the country will be ensured at the beginning of the winter of 2026-2027. A 50:50 joint venture will also be launched to manage nuclear units and determine future commitments and costs for managing waste and spent fuel.
 
Belgium intends to invest 100 million euros over four years in nuclear energy technology, with a focus on smaller model reactors, and the possibility of cooperation with France and the Netherlands, while it intended to completely close its nuclear plants by 2025, and its decision to continue work came within the framework of efforts to avoid dependence on fuel imports. The fossil fuel is from Russia due to the repercussions of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Belgium has two nuclear power plants with a total of seven reactors.