As the weather turns and Belgium braces for the first winter chill of the year, our energy security again becomes an issue that we all feel – not just in the air but also in our bills.
The cost of heating will rise again as demand for gas rises. This will have a knock-on effect for electricity, for which prices are pegged to the most expensive energy source feeding the national grid – gas imports. Brussels is this week holding a convention on the future of hydrogen, which the European Commission is eager to exploit in the hope that it can supplant gas as a critical energy source.
But though the chemical potential of this is promising, the process of producing hydrogen is energy-intensive and the technology to produce "green hydrogen" (electrolysis powered by renewables) is still a long way from being rolled out at scale. And despite Belgium's ambition to become a leader in hydrogen, we have more immediate energy priorities.
For households the energy outlook is as bright as the weather: Belgium is vulnerable to fluctuations in gas prices and with Russia's invasion of Ukraine reaching a grim milestone today, gas supply will be squeezed for the foreseeable.
To make matters worse, three of the country's five nuclear reactors are scheduled to stop operating next year. Nuclear provides over 40% of Belgium's electricity needs and losing this capacity will be felt dearly, especially as we try to move away from fossil fuels. The out-going Energy Minister (of the Flemish green party) hasn't disguised her dislike for nuclear and dreams of a country powered mainly by wind. But despite big efforts to build up Belgium's wind farms, we're still years from harnessing this resource.
And the political turmoil that has marked national affairs for months is doing no favours in the energy sector either. The next generation of nuclear reactors – especially small modular units that bring cost advantages, offer greater flexibility, and can run on waste from older reactors – will be a powerful tool to answer national energy concerns.
The potential here is great, and Belgium could lead the way, according to Stefano Buono, CEO of Newcleo – a company that specialises in SMRs. He highlighted the suitability of Belgium for developing this technology, but was open about the barriers to doing so: stabilising tomorrow's supply requires clarity today.
"To make this happen we obviously need guarantees from the relevant authorities." It's a sentiment that is felt by businesses in all areas. And how long we must wait is literally a million-dollar question.
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