COUNTRY PAVILLIONS | WNE2023 Belgium: Rethinking reactor life
Despite a plan to phase out nuclear power geopolitical instability has prompted a re- think for Belgium’s newest nuclear assets.
Belgium currently has five operating nuclear reactors which generate about half of its electricity. Although nuclear power has received little policy support since the early 2000s, when a decision was taken to phase out nuclear power within a decade, last spring Belgium delayed its previously announced plans. Doel 3 was shut down as planned in September 2022, but Doel 4 and Tihange 3 will continued to operate as part of a plan to run these units through to 2035. The two units were due to close for good in 2025, but will now continue operating for another decade. The decision, which followed the start of hostilities in Ukraine, was taken in order to strengthen the county’s independence from fossil fuels in a turbulent geopolitical environment. It came on the heels of an analysis by the grid operator Elia showing that an energy shortage could occur as early as the winter of 2025-2026 and which could only be averted with nuclear capacity. Belgium has a total of seven power reactors, four at Doel
and three at Tihange. Steam generator replacements had been carried out at Doel units 2, 3 and 4 and Tihange units 1, 2 and 3 between 1993 and 2004, while Doel 1’s steam generators were replaced in 2009.
Above: Doel unit 4 will now continue to operate until 2035. Earlier this year Belgium’s Federal Agency for Nuclear Control Doel
(FANC) submitted its expectations regarding nuclear safety for extending the operating life Tihange 3 and Doel 4 while in June the federal government and owner/operator ENGIE Electrabel concluded an agreement on the extension. FANC had already ruled out life extension for the country’s three oldest nuclear power plants at Doel units 1 and 2 and Tihange unit 1. In order to guarantee a nuclear energy supply during the winters 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, the necessary improvement works may be carried out in a staggered manner. The life extension plans are designed to see Tihange 3 and Doel 4 restarted in November 2026.
Tihange
However, despite this change in direction, Tihange 2 was shut down in late January 2023 after a 40-year operational lifespan.
Canada: A CANDU attitude
Canada continues to embrace nuclear generation, refurbishing much of its reactor fleet and looking to new build with SMRs.
With 19 operating nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 13.6 GWe, around one sixth of Canada’s electricity is supplied by nuclear reactors. Canada developed its own reactor technology with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) developing the first Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactor that has now been exported to multiple countries. CANDU reactors are operating at all of Canada’s major nuclear sites, Pickering, Darlington and Bruce. Picking is one of the oldest nuclear power stations in Canada and features eight CANDU reactors. Nonetheless, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) recently confirmed the safety of CANDU technology and the pressure tubes in the country’s nuclear reactors. There are a further eight pressurised heavy-water CANDU units at the Bruce site in Ontario. Bruce Power’s C$13bn (US$10bn) Life Extension Programme, which began with unit 6 and also includes units 3-8, will extend the life of the site until 2064. Units 1&2 have already been refurbished and were returned to service in 2012. Work began on unit 3 earlier this year. However, as Ontario’s other nuclear stations undergo refurbishment, there is a need for additional electricity through to 2026. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is seeking approval to operate Pickering’s Units 5 - 8 to September 2026, while Units 1 and 4 will cease operations at the end of 2024. The current licence includes operations to the end of 2024. The Province has also
asked OPG to conduct a feasibility assessment on the potential for refurbishing Units 5 – 8. OPG is currently refurbishing its Darlington plant, a project which remains on time and on budget. Meanwhile, the government is supporting the development and deployment of SMRs and in January OPG, GE Hitachi, SNC-Lavalin and Aecon announced a six-year project to develop, engineer and construct a BWRX-300 SMR at OPG’s Darlington site. Construction of the unit is expected to be completed by late 2028 and to begin supplying power to the grid in 2029.
Above: Some of Pickering’s eight units are currently being considered for refurbishment
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