The energy producer and supplier will thus only commit to such a project “within a balanced risk-sharing approach, with a defined, stable and viable regulatory framework for the required investment, including also a clear framework for decommissioning and nuclear waste management“. This was communicated on Tuesday by the company, parent company of Engie Belgium, on the occasion of the publication of its quarterly financial results. The federal government decided on March 18 to ask the company French government to extend the operational life of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors until 2035.”This decision would require Engie to extend its role as nuclear operator for a much longer period than expected. Engie is contributing to this reorientation and working with the government to study the feasibility and conditions for implementing this new scenario.“, she comments.
Engie recalls having already indicated that five years will be necessary for the execution of such a scenario, given the significant constraints in terms of safety, regulations and implementation that this implies. This is all the more so since the extension work will have to be carried out even though the dismantling of the adjacent units will have already begun and other adjacent units will still be in operation, notes the energy producer and supplier.
“Given its scale, this potential extension would present a risk profile that extends beyond the normal activities of a private operator.“, believes Engie.
At the end of March, the CEO of Engie Belgium, Thierry Saegeman, had warned that the government’s belated decision to extend the most recent nuclear power plants means that they will not be ready until 2027. They will also probably have to be commissioned. shutdown between 2025 and 2027 for adaptation work, he warned.
In the shorter term, the priorities of the French company are to “maintain a high level of operational availability, prepare for the final shutdown of the first two units this winter (Doel 3 on October 1 next and Tihange 2 on February 1, 2023, editor’s note) and enter the process of the three-year review of nuclear provisions in the second half of this year“.
“With regard to this last point, and following the same process as in 2019, this revision will take into account any required update of the technical and economic scenarios, including costs, schedule and discount rates.“, specifies Engie.