Since Friday morning, the federal government has been discussing the nuclear exit with the intention of really making the final decision. At the end of last year it seemed that all nuclear power plants would close by the end of 2025, but the war in Ukraine has decided otherwise.
“For too long our vision on energy has been missing. This has led to many uncertainties. This plan should resolve that vision. We opt for certainty in uncertain times,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said at the press conference on Friday evening.
The federal government has now decided to take the necessary steps to extend the life of the nuclear power plants Doel 4 and Tihange 3 to be extended by ten years. This concerns an extension of 2GW nuclear capacity. The extension of the two nuclear power plants should not push the production of renewable electricity out of the market, the federal government says. That is why it will be examined, among other things, whether the nuclear power stations can also be used in the event of overproduction to kick-start the hydrogen market in Belgium.
There has also been a long discussion about gascentrales, which normally had to temporarily replace nuclear power plants. And the outcome is also somewhat striking. De Croo’s team has decided that two new gas-fired power stations will be built after all. One will be in Les Awirs anyway, another probably in Seraing. Although a project in Manage still theoretically stands a chance.
1.16 billion in investments
In total, the federal government also wants to invest 1.16 billion euros to accelerate the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. “The more we do that, the less fossil fuels we need. So most of our time went there on Friday. Nuclear power stations are only 3 percent of our energy supply. That is why our time has mainly gone to the other 97 percent,” said Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen).
The government will do this, among other things, by investing in wind power† The execution of the offshore capacity of the Princess Elisabeth zone will be accelerated, obstacles to new onshore and offshore capacity will be removed and the current electricity production (zone 1) will be increased through repowering. The cooperation with our neighboring countries will also be strengthened in order to achieve a single integrated offshore network more quickly. These measures reinforce the commitment to triple the offshore wind capacity in the Belgian North Sea. With these efforts, every Belgian family will be supplied with electricity from the North Sea in the near future, it sounds.
Extra efforts will also be made to achieve the transition to energy hydrogen and to develop Belgium into a hub for the import and transit of green hydrogen.
In addition, there will also be a reduction in VAT solar panels to 6 percent. The VAT reduction will apply to homes less than ten years old. The VAT for heat pumps and solar boilers will also be reduced to 6% for homes less than ten years old under the owner-occupied home scheme and social rent. The government will also accelerate the introduction of floating solar energy and solar panels and smart charging stations will be installed in the NMBS stations. Where possible, solar panels will also be installed on the roofs of federal government buildings.
The federal government also reaffirms its focus on small modular nuclear reactors (SMR). Belgium has leading expertise in the field of new nuclear technologies and will invest in this field in the coming years, in collaboration with SCK-CEN and MYRRHA. An annual budget of 25 million euros has been made available for the next four years.
The government also wants to focus more on sustainable mobility† Negotiations will therefore take place with the NBMS and Infrabel with the aim of doubling the share of the train in both passenger and freight transport.
“I am a very satisfied Minister of Energy,” said Van der Straeten. “The plan we presented has been followed to a large extent. That means we can make ourselves resilient for the future. And that is absolutely necessary. That is important for our economy, for the climate and for our independence.”
(hh, brain, sgg)
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