The federal Minister for Energy, Marie-Christine Marghem (of the Liberal/Conservative MR) is currently drafting a royal order which aims give a state guarantee to nuclear operators, Thursday's L'Echo reveals.
A law coming into force this year broadens the general civil liability, however, insurance companies, averse to the idea, already see covering new risks as a “ticking time bomb”.
The new law encompasses a large range of environmental damage henceforth and a statutory limitation of thirty years (in place of the previous ten years) for personal injury.
The players concerned are not only Electrabel but also BelgoProcess, the company specialising in nuclear waste management, or research centres such as IRE (Institut National des Radioéléments - the National Institute for Radioelements - based in Fleurus).
“There is a lack of capacity, as much in insurance as re-insurance for this type of risk,” explains Wauthier Robyns of Assuralia.
Minister Marghem's royal order should consequently eliminate this shortfall.
(Source: Belga)
