It is part of measures to extend the operating life of the 1 GW pressurised water reactor.
Framatome said: “The modernisation of the rod control system, which will extend over several years, includes the complete replacement of control cabinets with Rodline technology, as well as all engineering, on-site installation and maintenance activities. This system plays an essential role in reactor control, ensuring precise power control and automatic failover in case of an unforeseen event.”
Laurent Thieffry, Senior Executive Vice-President I&C Business Unit at Framatome, said: “This new contract reflects Electrabel’s renewed trust in Framatome and our expertise in modernising nuclear facilities. We are proud to contribute to the safety and longevity of the Belgian nuclear fleet.”
Background
Belgium’s federal law of 31 January 2003 required the phase-out of all seven 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 and it was retired in February this year. Duel 3 was closed in September 2022 and Tihange 2 at the end of January 2023. Unit 1 of the Tihange nuclear power plant was taken offline for the final time after 50 years of operation and disconnected from the grid shortly before midnight on 30 September. Unit 2 of the Doel plant is set to shut this month.
This leaves Tihange 3 as one of Belgium’s two remaining nuclear power reactors – the other is Doel 3. They had both been scheduled to shut down this month under Belgium’s 2003 nuclear phase-out law, but following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022 the government and Electrabel began negotiating the feasibility and terms for the operation of the reactors for a further ten years, to 2035. A final agreement was reached in December 2024, with a balanced risk allocation.
