The Belgian army will once again take over from the police to protect Belgium's nuclear power plants in a bid to free up officers for the port of Antwerp, Belgian newspaper L’Écho reports. As of 2 May, the army will protect Belgium’s Doel nuclear power plant.
The decision was approved last Friday by the Council of Ministers. Belgian Minister of Defence Ludivine Dedonder reportedly responded favourably to a request by the Federal Police, calling for more flexibility to help step up searches at the port of Antwerp. This major European port is a hub for drug trafficking. Federal Police hope to crack down on the quantity of cocaine entering Belgium through the port.
The Army will provide round-the-clock protection to the Doel plant. In the unlikely event of a security incident at the plant, the army will receive additional support from the Federal Police.
Not without precedent
The army has previously been sent in to protect the Doel and Tihange nuclear power plants. Following the Fukushima disaster, in which a large explosion caused nuclear contamination on Japan’s coast in 2011, the army was brought in to reinforce security. In 2016, following the Brussels attacks, 140 soldiers were moved to Belgium’s sensitive nuclear targets as part of the “Spring Guardian” mission.
The Belgian Army only recently completed its handover of responsibilities to the police. This process was finalised in 2019 at the Tihange site and only last year at Doel. The Directorate for Security of the Federal Police (DAB) faced repeated problems in recruiting sufficient staff to fulfil its duties.
The DAB was created in response to the rising terrorist threat in Europe following the Charlie Hebdo and Paris attacks. There was considerable concern for Belgian nuclear safety after it was later revealed that one of the perpetrators behind the Paris attacks had spied on a senior Belgian nuclear official. A Belgian nuclear watchdog told L’Écho that this threat had since subsided.
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Belgian police officers are badly needed at the port of Antwerp. In January, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for the creation of a new specialised port police force to crack down on cocaine smuggling.
In February, the Federal Government decided to send another 100 extra officers to the port, with the aim of doubling the police presence there before 2025. Moving police officers away from Doel will free up another 50 officers to fight crime in the port.
