Georges Gilkinet was the guest of Pascal Vrebos this Sunday on RTL TVI. The Federal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility was questioned in particular about the ten-year extension of activity of two nuclear reactors (Doel 4 and Tihange 3). An agreement has been reached between the federal government and Engie, but clauses concerning the restart of the reactors and the treatment of waste raise questions. Here are the answers of the elected ecologist.
Pascal Vrebos: I read that the agreement was an obligation of means, that is to say not an obligation of result. Does that mean that if Engie fails to restart in 2026, the state can’t blame it?
Georges Gilkinet: It means that we are negotiating hard with Engie. To have an agreement, it takes two. We apply the polluter pays principle. Engie remains responsible for all the nuclear waste produced, for the dismantling of the power plants.
Pascal Vrebos: But an obligation of means, not of result.
Georges Gilkinet: Well, we are looking for solutions with Engie so that security of supply is guaranteed. For example, shutting down nuclear power plants in the summer to preserve fuel to operate in the winter, or other things. We have time to do it, but it’s true that we have to do it now.
Pascal Vrebos: Exactly, let’s talk about the issue of waste. You always said that Engie had to pay 100% of the waste bill, and there I saw that there was an agreement on a ceiling but without a figure. Is this a jackpot for Engie? And for you, a symbolic Waterloo?
Georges Gilkinet: The figure should be determined within a few months. The idea, indeed, is that we take the worst scenario, that we apply a percentage which is a risk premium, and Engie today pays sums which will be able to be used to accelerate the energy transition.
Pascal Vrebos: Because this waltz of hesitations, won’t it end up costing you a fortune in the end? And for whom, for the taxpayer.
Georges Gilkinet: But nuclear power is expensive Mr. Vrebos. Both for its development and both for waste management. That’s a reality. The waste must be monitored for hundreds of years. This has a cost to public finances that is often overlooked. So the cost is no different and energy is expensive, that’s why we have to reduce our energy consumption, be more efficient, develop renewable energies. That is the best solution, the one on which we have never worked so much as with this Vivaldi government.