A pro-nuclear Belgian citizens group will take the Belgian government and energy companies Engie-Electrabel and Elia to court over the shutdown of Doel 3 and Tihange 2 nuclear power plants, according to a local TV channel on Wednesday.
The group, which goes by the name of '100 TWh', said they launched an appeal to override the 2003 Deleuze law that started Belgium’s denuclearization process.
The move came after the Doel 3 reactor in operation in Belgium for 40 years was shut down on Friday under the country’s denuclearization law.
This was the first time a nuclear reactor was permanently shut down in Belgium despite the energy crisis in Europe.
According to the group, nuclear power is necessary for Belgium's energy supply security. The group argues that reactors should instead be 'mothballed,' allowing a restart when the need arises, as the group opposes their permanent closure.
“We have made various calculations of power and energy needed. In all scenarios, we need nuclear power plants. We have used Elia’s figures but disagree with their proposals to replace nuclear energy with massive imports from abroad and new gas power stations,” Henri Marenne, a spokesperson for the group said.
Marenne also explained that the group opposed the construction of gas power stations, citing the unstable electricity network and unexplained blackouts in the German region of Rozenheim “as Germany shuts down its last nuclear reactors.”
He was scathing of the aim of transitioning fully to renewable energy, stating that 100% renewable energy is a myth.
“It will never work because, at each percent of renewable energy invested, a percentage of fossil energy must be backed up. This means that the investment must be doubled each time. This is completely absurd in the context of our climate commitments. We need a strong foundation of nuclear,” he said.
In defense of nuclear energy, he referenced the Japanese plan to build new nuclear plants and restart reactors at the Fukushima plant, the scene of a major accident in 2011.
'You know, they are even thinking of building new ones in Japan. We, too, should consider it as soon as possible.”
The Doel 3 reactor is one of four reactors of the Doel Nuclear Power Plant.
The 1,006 megawatt-hours capacitated reactor was built in 1978, was grid connected in 1982, and has operated for 40 years.
In 2012, capillary cracks in the reactor pressure system were detected resulting in its closure for maintenance for two years.
Belgium hosts a total of seven reactors, four of which are at the Doel Nuclear Power Plant close to the Dutch border, while three are located at the Tihange Nuclear Power Plant, close to the Germany and Luxembourg border.
The electricity produced by these reactors meets about half of the country's needs.
Reporting by Ata Ufuk Seker in Brussels
Writing and additional reporting by Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
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