Use of nuclear reactors extended without consultation The Dutch municipalities of Bergen op Zoom, Steenbergen and Tholen, in Northern Brabant and Zeeland, announced on Thursday (18 August) that they are lodging a complaint before the European Commission regarding the decision of the Belgian government to extend the use of Doel nuclear reactors 1 and 2 until 2025.
The three municipalities are located beyond the Belgium-Netherland border, north of Antwerp and Doel. The locations are concerned regarding the extension of the use of these two reactors, commissioned, like the Tihange 1 reactor, in 1975.
They criticize Belgium for not having consulted the southern region of the Netherlands, as international treaties demand.
The Mayor of the City of Bergen op Zoom, Frank Petter, stated in the local press that a complaint lodged in Europe “has the greatest chances of success.”
The Belgian government decided to extend the useful life of the first reactors of the Doel station – which has four in total – estimating that this constitutes “leverage for energy transition.”
“These two stations are 91% dependable since their commissioning,” stated recently the Belgian Minister of Energy, Marie Christine Marghem.
(Source: Belga)
