Engie is seeking between €500 and €600 million compensation from the Belgian Government to dismantle the nuclear reactors it operates in Belgium.
The utility company claims that the extension of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors has disrupted its original decommissioning programme and therefore should be compensated, L'Echo and De Tijd reported on Tuesday.
"Out of a total dismantling cost of €8.4 billion, we estimate the financial impact between €500 and €600 million," confirms Engie spokesperson Hellen Smeets.
This is the first time that the energy company has calculated the adverse effects of extending Doel 4 and Tihange 3 at the same time as dismantling five other reactors.
Prior to the government decision to alter Belgian law to allow for an extension of its nuclear reactors, Engie planned to close all reactors between 2022 and 2025 and gradually dismantling them over the following years.
Central to this has been the agreement to include a mechanism to reduce the financial impact of the extension on the decommissioning programme for the other plants. Engie claims that this results in a loss of economies of scale.
However, Belgium's Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) has called for Engie’s claims to be investigated further. The Minister's office challenged the figures provided by Engie and maintains that the existing agreement should cover costs associated with the nuclear extension.
