Reaction to the formation of the government by the Arizona parties

The Belgian Nuclear Forum, the federation of the nuclear industry in Belgium, congratulates the members of the Arizona coalition (Les Engagés, MR, Vooruit, CD&V and N-VA) on having reached an agreement after months of negotiations. We welcome the agreement's focus on the revival of nuclear power as one of its priorities.

There is no time to lose on the energy front. We must, as a matter of priority and without further delay, adapt or even abolish the law on phasing out nuclear power, so that there are no longer any legal obstacles to extending existing reactors or building new ones.

It is now urgent to get down to work by setting up a Task Force bringing together the various players who will make this nuclear revival possible:

• nuclear industry players (most of whom are members of the Belgian Nuclear Forum)
• the industry federations (representing, in particular, electro-intensive and energy-intensive industries faced with the challenge to decarbonise their production and operating processes)
• the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC)
• representatives of the renewable energy sectors
• the Belgian State
• any other player deemed necessary, so that the revival of nuclear power is feasible within the framework of the energy transition and can meet the expectations of everyone, whether the public or industry.

It's important that we get to work straight away to ensure that the revival of nuclear power in Belgium takes place on time and on budget, in order to cope with the electricity shortage that Elia and others have announced.

We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past by working in separate silos. We call on the various levels of government (Federal, Community, Regional and Municipal) to work TOGETHER, in close collaboration with the Task Force mentioned above. Given the importance and urgency of the implementation required, this collaborative approach is essential, as action is to be taken as quickly as possible.

With regard more specifically to the extension of existing nuclear reactors (LTOs), it is necessary to clarify as soon as possible the role that the current operator still wishes to play or can play. If the current operator sticks to its announced strategy and sees no future for nuclear energy in Belgium, the government, with the help of the Task Force, will have to come up with an alternative plan as soon as possible. This means finding one (or more) other interested operator(s) to continue operating the existing nuclear reactors.

The current nuclear power plants are necessary for our country in terms of security of supply, as part of the new long-term national strategy around energy policy. The government must therefore take the necessary steps to protect this critical infrastructure (the existing nuclear reactors), avoiding the consequences that occurred when Doel 3 and Tihange 2 were shut down.

As for building new nuclear reactors, the SMR (Small Modular Reactors) types should be considered first. There is general agreement in the Belgian nuclear sector that water-cooled SMRs (the third generation) can be operational more quickly than lead-cooled SMRs (the fourth generation). The latter, which are more innovative, are currently being developed at the SCK CEN research center in Belgium.

Given the looming energy shortage and the challenges facing our industry and society, there's no time to lose: we need to start strengthening our Supply Chain as soon as possible. This will create thousands of jobs and generate significant financial benefits for our country. These are important elements if Belgium is to have the resources to build these new reactors on time and on budget.

Like our neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France, Belgium must also develop a long-term vision that includes the development of new nuclear capacity. This means significantly simplifying the administrative procedures for granting licences and permits.

It is also essential to guarantee the necessary legal framework to reassure and convince private investors and potential new operators.