The Belgian government on Monday decided to delay the start of a progressive phasing out of nuclear power by 10 years until 2025, Energy and Climate Minister Paul Magnette said in a statement.
"The government has decided to delay by 10 years the first stage of phasing out nuclear power," the statement said.
Under a law passed in 2003, Belgium's seven reactors were scheduled to be shut down between 2015 and 2025.
Three of the reactors, two at the Doel plant in northern Belgium and one at Tihange in the south, were due to have been closed in 2015 after 40 years of operations but will now remain open until 2025.
In exchange for the three reactors remaining open, the main electricity producers will contribute between 215 and 245 million euros to state coffers between 2010 and 2014, the ministry explained.
Magnette had called for the delay because of costs and energy security.
"This would guarantee security of supply, limit the production of carbon dioxide and allow us to maintain prices that protect consumer purchasing power and the competitivity of our companies," he said earlier this month.
Belgium derives around 55 percent of its electricity from nuclear power.
via Belgium delays nuclear phase-out until 2025: minister - Yahoo! News.
How do they plan to make up for the missing power?
2 comments:
[...] Belgium delays nuclear phase-out until 2025: minister « Xenophilia … [...]
Knowing our idiot goverment, I honestly have no idea how they'll make up for the missing power.
I'm pretty sure they'll do something stupid though. After all these years here, I'm getting used to it.
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