Monday, 7 July 2025
Belgium’s Federal Agency for Nuclear Control has given the go-ahead for the restart of unit 3 at the Tihange nuclear power plant following a maintenance outage in preparation for the unit’s operation for a further ten years.
Belgium’s federal law of 31 January 2003 required the phase-out of all nuclear electricity generation in the country. Under that policy, Doel 1 was originally set to be taken out of service on its 40th anniversary – 15 February 2015. However, the law was amended in 2013 and 2015 to provide for Doel 1 to remain operational for an additional ten years. Duel 3 was closed in September 2022 and Tihange 2 at the end of January 2023. Unit 1 of the Tihange plant is set to shut in October this year, with Doel 2 following in December.
The country’s last two reactors – Doel 4 and Tihange 3 – were scheduled to close in November 2025. However, following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022 the government and Electrabel – the Belgian subsidiary of Engie – began negotiating the feasibility and terms for the operation of the reactors for a further ten years, to 2035, with a final agreement reached in December, with a balanced risk allocation.
For the continued operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3, Electrabel had to submit an extensive LTO (Long Term Operation) file with safety studies and an action plan to further increase the safety of the youngest reactors. This file was submitted in December 2024 for both units.
Tihange 3 was taken offline on 5 April for a so-called ‘LTO overhaul’ – an extensive inspection and maintenance period with a view to safe long-term operation of the reactor.
After a thorough analysis, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) and its technical subsidiary Bel V have determined that the reactor meets the conditions for a safe restart. Tihange 3 will be restarted in the coming days.
“In recent years, intensive consultations have already taken place between FANC and Electrabel, which means that the proposed action plan has already largely met the expectations of FANC,” the regulator said.
In the first half of 2025, FANC conducted a thorough analysis of the LTO files for Tihange 3 and Doel 4 and provided the results to Electrabel in June. In doing so, FANC requested a number of additional adjustments to the action plan, including additional studies, clarification of certain action points and accelerated implementation of a number of planned actions. The action plan for Tihange 3 has now been completed and approved in this way.
FANC noted that during the LTO overhaul, part of the action plan was already implemented (for example, testing, inspections and preventive replacement of obsolete components). The remaining measures in the action plan will be completed within a period of three years, by September 2028 at the latest. FANC and Bel V will continue to closely monitor implementation.
Doel 4 was taken offline on 30 June for its LTO overhaul. As with Tihange 3, its restart requires approval of the action plan and a positive assessment of the actions carried out. The restart of Doel 4 is scheduled for 1 November at the latest.
In May, Belgium’s federal parliament voted to repeal the 2003 law for the phase-out of nuclear power and banning the construction of new nuclear generating capacity.
FANC has called for “clarity to be provided in the course of this legislative term on a possible extension of the operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 after 2035. This will allow the necessary safety analyses and preparatory steps to be started in good time.”
