The objective is to reach a definitive agreement with the operator by the end of the year. “It’s a strict, ambitious deadline for a challenge of the same level,” she commented. The agreement will then be submitted to the European Commission.
Together with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, she was questioned in the Chamber during an extraordinary joint Energy and Environment committee. This session aimed to answer questions from MPs regarding the negotiations between the federal government and Engie concerning the restart of the Tihange 3 and Doel 4 nuclear reactors in November 2026 for a period of 10 years, i.e. a capacity of 2 GW. Chance of the calendar, it is held on the eve of a Consultation Committee devoted to energy prices.
On July 21, just following the National Day military parade, the government met one last time in a kern, at 16 rue de la Loi. A mandate was given there so that the letter of intent might be signed.
“This letter of intent (of which Belga obtained a copy, editor’s note) falls within the red lines that the government set in March 2022. The Belgian government will not be a nuclear operator and the cost of nuclear waste is not passed on with the government. It is the polluter pays. These two principles remain”, detailed Tinne Van der Straeten. Three lines of discussion were thus defined: the extension of the two reactors, the creation of a legal structure (Special Purpose Vehicle) for these two reactors with 50-50 State participation and waste management. Intervention by the Belgian State is only planned for the waste from the extension of Doel 4 and Tihange 3.
“This agreement is crucial for energy supply. This is a big step forward, while other countries are still discussing”, observed Alexander De Croo. “It’s regarding ‘regaining control in an intelligent way, seeing Engie and the Belgian state as partners. (…) We bring the State into the capital of these power stations. We anchor the strategic decisions, but we leave the management to the market. We combine the best of both worlds. “I am delighted to see that minds are maturing,” he finally said of the statement by European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen. The European Union announced on Monday that it was preparing “an emergency intervention” in the electricity market to limit Europeans’ bills. “When the free market doesn’t work, you have to intervene,” he said.
