When it comes to political indecision, Belgium is the poster boy. Dragging its heels, changing its mind, going back to square one and at times only to find that the decisive moment has passed. So whilst yesterday's agreement to extend its two youngest nuclear reactors might be hailed a monumental development, we might be mindful that things are rarely set in stone here.
Nonetheless, it is remarkable that we have an accord at all – the "Vivaldi" government in place until 2024 gathers a breadth of policy convictions under a (united?) banner. Most notably, the home party of Belgium's energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten is the Green party, problematic given their strident and long-held anti-nuclear energy stance.
After eking out valuable energy from its reactors by repeatedly prolonging their lifespan for a matter of months, the commitment to extend the country's nuclear energy provision was born largely out of necessity rather than a convergence of political will. The anti-nuclear faction is unlikely to turn nuclear evangelists, even if polls suggest Belgians largely recognise the need to secure energy supply with a source that, though not renewable, has no direct greenhouse emissions, is not prey to the alarming price fluctuations of LNG, and doesn't require an enormous infrastructure investment.
Despite the obvious advantages of nuclear that the energy crisis has made impossible to ignore, the deal that Belgium has made with the reactor operating company Engie has been attacked by opposing parties. Most notably, Bart De Wever – leader of the rightwing Flemish nationalist party N-VA – argues that there is no mention of who will bear the cost of eventually decommissioning the reactors.
Given that the reactors in question have been running since 1985, De Wever makes a reasonable point. But bearing in mind the reasons mentioned above, ministers are currently focussing on welcoming the long overdue agreement with assurances that quibbles can be ironed out in due course.
Still undecided on the nuclear question? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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