According to government sources, “millimeter by millimeter” progress has been made in recent days in the negotiations with Engie, the French operator of the Belgian nuclear power plants, but “at the moment several points are still open”.
No agreement was reached last night, so the top ministers will continue working today. Prime Minister De Croo and Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) are leading the talks for the government.
Russia
At the end of March, the De Croo government decided in extremis to keep the two youngest nuclear power plants, Doel 4 and Tihange 3, open for ten years longer than provided for in the Nuclear Exit Act. The nuclear power plants must ensure the power supply now that Russia has turned off the gas tap and the French nuclear power plants are facing major problems.
In the summer, an agreement in principle was already concluded with Engie on the lifespan extension. Now that must be converted into a binding contract on the future operation of the nuclear power plants and the handling of nuclear waste.
Time is running out for the government. The intention is that Doel 4 and Tihange 3 will be available at the end of 2026 (following a break in 2025), but this is only possible if the preparatory studies and works for extending the lifespan are started quickly. Engie must, among other things, submit a file to the regulator FANC in which it proves that the nuclear power plants can safely remain open.
The French energy company refuses to start that process without a binding agreement with the De Croo government. That is too great a financial risk, they say. In the past, the cost of the entire operation has been estimated at around 1 billion euros.
“It is especially important that a good agreement is reached. We must not act hastily. The people at Engie say: we actually want to move away from the nuclear in the long term, in a financially sound way. For our part, we say: yes, but the operator who has made a profit must also be responsible for the waste. That conversation is now underway and we will have to find each other somewhere,” said Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) on Friday morning. Radio 1.
Elsewhere within the government it is also stated that it cannot be the intention that Engie ‘misuses’ the deadline that De Croo has imposed on itself to negotiate major concessions. “Then rather an agreement in January 2023.”
Nuclear waste
It has been clear for some time that the maximum invoice for the handling of nuclear waste from all Belgian nuclear power plants is a point of discussion. Until now, the costs of nuclear cleaning are recalculated every three years. Engie wants to get rid of this because it considers the procedure too uncertain. The De Croo government promised this in the summer.
However, the government is concerned that Engie wants to pass on part of the bill to the government. Certainly the Greens have insisted for years that the “polluter must pay”. Conversely, Engie tries to keep the amount as low as possible. According to the energy company, the amount set aside today for the disposal of nuclear waste from Belgian nuclear power plants (a total of 14.9 billion euros) is gradually enough to cover future costs.
It is unclear whether the maximum invoice will be fully recorded in the coming days. Perhaps not.
A source says: “Of course it is difficult. Also because we sometimes don’t know who makes the decisions: the management of the French parent company Engie itself? Or does it still need to be fed back to the board of directors? We are now waiting for a final agreement.”
Engie’s CEO, Catherine MacGregor, said The time negotiate directly with Prime Minister De Croo. The energy company is currently not commenting on the talks.