After several delays in restarting, the opening of Liège reactor Tihange 2, has been postponed until July 7, according to Belgian media.
This is now the fifth delay in restarting the reactor, with the initial plan being to restart on last Saturday, June 22. As previously reported, safety concerns led the operation to be postponed to Sunday evening, then Monday night and then Tuesday night. However now, following more safety issues, the agreed date is July 7.
"Tests have shown that additional intervention is needed. Of course, the reactor has been inactive for some time," said Hellen Smeets, a spokesperson for energy supplier, Engie Electrabel.
During the reactor’s planned shutdown for maintenance, it was discovered that the concrete in the bunker’s steam exhaust room was damaged, due to continual exposure to warm and wet conditions. The damaged areas had to be repaired, as previously reported.
An anomaly was then found in the positioning and dimensions of parts of the concrete reinforcement in the building’s ceiling. It was, therefore, necessary to repair the bunker by placing an additional roof structure.
Madeleine Fletcher
The Brussels Times
