“Engie says there is no legal framework under which nuclear power can be extended,” MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez argues in “Terzake”. He maintains that Doel 4 and Tihange 3 can still remain open longer by simply changing the law, which he believes could squeeze the time limit. If there are no technical or technological obstacles, according to Bouchez, nothing stands in the way of an extension of the two nuclear power plants.
“Nuclear power stations are the most complex installations in this country”, Saegeman responds in “Terzake”. “It is about much more than amending one law. There is the law on the nuclear phase-out, but there is also international environmental legislation that obliges the Belgian state in this situation to carry out an environmental impact assessment and to organize a public consultation within a radius of 1,000 kilometers around the power station.”
In other words: “With all the aspects that we have mentioned and all the obstacles that have to be overcome, we do not consider it possible today to extend the youngest nuclear power plants.”
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