Reactors shutdown a test run for nuclear-free future
Belgium’s energy production is plunging as its nuclear reactors are taken offline for repairs, with the power shortfall this winter seen as a test of the country’s ability to cope when the reactors are phased out from 2022. Four nuclear reactors at Doel near Antwerp and three at Tihange in Liege, all operated by Electrabel, part of France’s Engie, produce about half of Belgium’s electricity when they are fully operational. Six of the seven — all built between 1975 and 1985 with an original lifespan of 40 years — are currently closed for repairs and maintenance, reducing their combined 6 gigawatts (GW) capacity by nearly two-thirds. They are expected to come back online between late November and June.
Grid operator Elia has warned it may have to ration electricity during the high-demand winter months, while fears of a supply shortage that could see lights go out and trains stand still have pushed power prices to record highs.
The Doel 1 and 2 reactors were shut down in the spring for repairs to their water-cooling systems, while Tihange 1 went offline on October 13 for refuelling and regular maintenance.
Tihange 2 and 3 and Doel 4 are closed while concrete degradation in bunkers close to the reactor buildings is investigated and repaired. Similar concerns led to a shutdown last year at Doel 3, the only reactor scheduled to remain online through November.
Engie built a new roof for the bunker at Doel 3 and will do the same at the other reactors with concrete degradation, Deputy Director-general Pierre Mongin told a briefing.
Belgium’s nuclear regulator FANC has said problems in the concrete structures surrounding the four reactors are classed as the lowest level of severity, with no impact on the population or the environment.
This year, Belgium extended the area within which it distributes free iodine tablets for use in a nuclear emergency to all its territory and parts of Germany and the Netherlands, although it said there was no specific risk from the reactors.
John Large, an independent nuclear engineer, said fixing the concrete degradations could take months longer than Electrabel has projected. Based on the problems at the other reactors, he said the year-end finish targeted for the repairs at Doel was optimistic, adding: “I would expect them to go into, very certainly into the mid of next year before they can come back online.”
Electrabel spokeswoman Anne-sophie Huge said the dates given for restarting the reactors — which will need permission from FANC — were its best estimate given the information it has.