Engie reconnected the Doel 4 nuclear reactor to the Belgian electricity grid on 8 October, one week after receiving the green light from the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) for its restart, the company announced on Wednesday.
After Tihange 3 on 10 July, Doel 4 was reconnected to the grid for an additional ten years, in accordance with the agreements concluded between Engie and the federal government. The two units will supply "2 GW of electricity for the next ten years," the company predicts.
This restart involves the payment by Engie to the Belgian State of the second and final tranche for the transfer of responsibility for nuclear waste and spent fuel: €3.5 billion of the planned €15 billion.
Doel 3 and Tihange 4 are owned by a joint venture, Be-Nuc, owned equally by the Belgian State and Engie. These two nuclear reactors will be the last two in operation in Belgium until 2035.
Tihange 1 was officially disconnected from the grid on 30 September, while Doel 2 is expected to follow suit at the end of November. Doel 3, Tihange 2, and Doel 1 had already been shut down.
The Federal Government, however, would like to extend the lifespan of Tihange 1 and has asked Engie not to take any irreversible steps in shutting down this reactor. Discussions are reportedly underway to extend Tihange 1, according to the government, but Engie has already reiterated that this operation is currently "not an option."
