Following a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2019, the Belgian Constitutional Court annulled in August 2020 the law of 2015 on the extension of the life of reactors 1 and 2 of the Doel nuclear power plant. In its judgment, the Belgian Court ordered the Government to organize an environmental impact study involving a phase of public participation and a cross-border consultation before December 31, 2022. “ Extending the life of a nuclear power plant can impact local residents as well as neighboring countries in the event of an accident. As the safety margins decrease with the aging of a reactor, the risks of a nuclear accident increase. The fact that an incident is not improbable is demonstrated by the many faults of old nuclear power stations, which are regularly shut down, ”said Roger Spautz, nuclear campaigner for Greenpeace. The Minister of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development of Belgium has just notified neighboring countries that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) with cross-border consultation, in accordance with the Espoo convention, will be organized in the first quarter in 2021. Neighboring countries wishing to participate in this consultation must express their interest before the end of September.
Greenpeace 25th Sept 2020 read more »