Belgian nuclear reactor shut down for longer

target - Reactor three of the nuclear power plant in the Belgian Doel will only be restarted on August 1, more than three months later than planned. This is shown by a report on the website of operator Engie Electrabel. Maintenance work takes longer than planned.

The reactor was shut down in September after the concrete in a storage bunker in the non-nuclear part of the complex did not meet the requirements. The plant at Antwerp has four reactors. Neighboring countries are concerned about safety, including about the other nuclear power plant in Belgium, in Tihange not far from Liège.

The report comes one day after a publication by the Dutch Safety Board. In it, the OVV states that the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany should prepare themselves jointly for an accident with a nuclear power plant. The council says that the chance of a serious nuclear accident is small. But if a nuclear accident occurs, the countries have not properly coordinated crisis management. The Belgian nuclear watchdog FANC endorses this conclusion.