Session: 02-01 Dismantling & Waste Segregation

Paper Number: 109946

109946 - Update on Engie' Decommissioning Program 

In Belgium, 2 of the 7 ENGIE nuclear power plants have been shut down in accordance with the current phase-out law. Doel 3 in September 2022, Tihange 2 in February this year. The government proposed to extend the operational life of the two youngest plants, Doel 4 and Tihange 3 by 10 years.

Both reactors, commissioned in 1985, have a production capacity of 1GW each. This agreement in principle defines the Heads of Terms for a future binding agreement and allows the commencement of operational life time extensions studies. This agreement constitutes an important step, and paves the way for the conclusion of full agreements in the upcoming months. It also provides for the immediate start of environmental and technical studies prior to obtaining the authorizations related to this extension.

It builds on the Letter of Intent signed on 21 July 2022 and specifies certain terms and conditions for the following topics:

-          It sets the frame for the establishment of a legal structure, dedicated to the two extended nuclear units, equally owned by the Belgian State and ENGIE.

-          It defines the framework for a cap on future nuclear waste management costs, a framework that will allow to define the technical and financial parameters of this cap in the upcoming weeks, including a risk premium.

-          It determines a set of guarantees to ensure the proper execution of the nuclear operator’s commitments.

With this agreement, both parties confirm their objective to make reasonable endeavors to restart the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear units after the 2025 shutdown.

This presentation will give an update on the discussions with the government, will describe the status of the ongoing decommissioning program, as well as explaining the challenges ENGIE is facing.

Presenting Author: Peter Berben ENGIE

Presenting Author Biography: In 1990, Peter Berben earned a Master of Science degree in nuclear energy and electronics. He later graduated from the Vlerick International Management School in Brussels in 2011. With over 32 years of experience in national and international nuclear engineering and developments, he currently holds a management position as Head of Radioactive Waste and Decommissioning at ENGIE Corporate, Nuclear Segment and is conducting oversight of the ongoing ENGIE decommissioning program. In addition, Peter Berben is a member of advisory boards for MAGICS Instruments, a company specializing in radiation-hardened integrated circuit design in Geel, Belgium, and AiNT, the Aachen Institute for Nuclear Training. He is also a member of the NEA expert group for robotics and remote systems in nuclear back-end and a member of the permanent expert group for Dismantling at the French safety authorities ASN.