2023-11-07 11:41:00
The Vivaldi majority remained united on Tuesday in the House Energy Committee regarding the extension of nuclear power. She rejected a request for an opinion from the Council of State on a series of proposals which review the 2003 law setting the phase-out of nuclear power in 2025. But flaws appeared: the president of the commission, Christian Leysen (Open Vld) and Marie-Christine Marghem (MR) supported the opposition’s request.
The debate has been ongoing for almost two years and the committee devoted its tenth session to this question on Tuesday. The Engagés, the CD&V, the N-VA, the MR and the Open Vld have submitted texts which would allow the extension of nuclear activity in Belgium beyond 2025. The targets are either current power stations or the development of future reactors, in particular “Small Modular Reactors” (SMR) in which the government has decided to invest 100 million euros.
Procrastination
For several parties, both in the majority and in the opposition, the question arises as to whether the research in these SMRs and their development, entrusted to the CEN of Mol, are compatible with the framework of the 2003 law. The government federal government is working on the issue but, according to certain deputies, the discussions are not moving forward. On several occasions, the committee postponed a request for an opinion from the Council of State on the proposed laws.
Tired of the procrastination, the head of the Engagés group, Catherine Fonck, requested that the request for an opinion be put to a vote. The opposition N-VA and VB spoke favorably alongside Marie-Christine Marghem (MR) and Christian Leysen (Open Vld). “Parliament has a certain role to play,” recalled the latter. “I am patient, but this is already the tenth time we have debated the subject. I will not understand why we do not take the initiative to continue parliamentary work”.
The majority, including the other MR deputy, Mathieu Bihet, supported the proposal made by the CD&V group leader, Servais Verherstraeten, to hear the Minister of Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten, next month on the progress of work within the government before making a decision.
Opposition from environmentalists
The most frank opposition to a request for an opinion from the Council of State came from Ecolo-Groen, from which the Minister of Energy comes. “SMR research can take place within the current framework. Wouldn’t it be more logical to decide what we’re going to do when the results are in? Are we going to clutter the Council of State with a law that we don’t need?” asked Kim Buyst, noting that it will not be until 2035-2040 that the subject will be ripe.
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