In a restricted Council of Ministers this Wednesday, the Federal Minister for Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten, tabled an important political note, with a view to an agreement on an energy transition plan in Belgium. In this text, we can read in particular:The bill relating to the extension of the Doel 4 and/or Tihange 3 power plant until December 31, 2035 at the latest will be approved at first reading during the Council of Ministers at the end of March“The Minister of the Environment is therefore taking a step forward by approving the extension of old nuclear reactors in Belgium. She is also proposing to the government a vast plan of 8 billion euros to accelerate the transition, by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and accelerating renewable energy. A way for the Greens to digest the nuclear pill.
By the end of the week, the 7 parties of the Vivaldi coalition have set themselves the challenge of (finally) reaching an agreement on the energy transition in Belgium. The Minister, at the heart of this file, proposes 3 axes in her policy note:
- Support measures to reduce household energy bills. Temporary reduction in VAT on gas and electricity, extension of the social tariff and fuel oil check, all of this has already been presented at a press conference on Tuesday.
- A major plan of measures to boost our renewable energies and reduce our “fossil” consumption.
- “An open look at the nuclear phase-out schedule“, according to the words of the note.
Doel 4 and Tihange 3 extended
It is the 3rd point of this text that is the subject of endless controversy within the federal government. Until recently, a majority of parties pleaded for a total closure of the 7 Belgian reactors in 2025. However, the war in Ukraine is changing the situation. “This war, explains the ministershows how dependent our country is on primary energy imports […] This dependence shows the vulnerability of our country.” Security of supply must be reassessed in this geopolitical climate. Tinne Van der Straeten undertakes to start a discussion with Engie. “We are examining whether and under what conditions the nuclear capacity of 2 GW, more precisely Doel 4 and/or Tihange 3, could be extended for a period of 10 yearsIn her text, the minister specifies that, at the same time, she will indeed activate the gas support mechanism (CRM). Plan A (gas-fired power plants), just like plan B (extension of nuclear power) would therefore be simultaneously assessed .
Is this the end of the saga? Will the extension of two reactors be sufficient in the eyes of the Liberals? It is in any case the first time that Minister Tinne Van der Straeten has taken this step in a note addressed to the government. Answer, maybe, this Friday… in the night.
Reduce our dependency
The other major axis of the Van der Straeten plan is a boost in the transition to “rreduce Belgium’s dependence on fossil fuels by 4% per year“. Minister Groen details a whole series of measures. This ranges from the reduction of fares in public transport, to the reduction of VAT for solar panels, heat pumps and solar boilers for houses under 10 years According to the Minister, all federal public buildings should be equipped with solar panels within 2 years.
The Minister’s ambition is also to bet on wind power (finding new capacities in the North Sea) and hydrogen (strengthening the backbone from Belgian ports, while developing an industry in our country).
The note specifies the budgets allocated to the various proposed measures (spread over 2022, 2023 and 2024):
- Investments in railways: 1.2 billion euros;
- Greening of transport: 187 million euros;
- Acceleration of the deployment of renewable energies and energy savings: 1.04 billion euros;
- Greening of public assets (SNCB, Defence, the government): 1.3 billion euros;
- Own production of renewable energy by the government: 2.1 billion euros;
- Development of the renewable hydrogen import chain: 2.2 billion euros;
This catalog of proposals is only a proposal to the government. It will more than likely be modified and amended by the other parties in the coalition. Some around the federal government table are also and above all waiting for the plan for the other regions of the country.