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Supporting the timely restart of Doel 4 nuclear plant in Belgium
On October 8, ENGIE safely reconnected the Doel 4 nuclear reactor to the grid after a first major overhaul. This restart follows that of Tihange 3 on July 10 of this year. Tractebel has worked in integrated teams with the operator, ENGIE Belgium Electrabel, on the long-term operation (LTO) programme to ensure they can operate for an additional ten years in line with the agreements between ENGIE and the Belgian government.
Image: copyright ENGIE
After months of extensive preparatory work, both Tihange 3 and Doel 4 were restarted within the planned timeframe. The two units will significantly contribute to Belgium’s security of supply, providing 2 GW of reliable baseload power for the next decade. This achievement reflects ENGIE’s unwavering commitment to the highest safety standards and the expertise and mobilisation of its teams, even as decommissioning activities for other reactors were taking place simultaneously on site.
The timely restart of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 confirms the competency, professionalism and commitment of all involved Engie teams in Belgium, within the operator Electrabel, Tractebel and Laborelec. With this restart, both units embark on a new decade of safe operation. ENGIE remains fully committed to accelerating the energy transition in Belgium and contributing to a reliable, affordable, and low-carbon energy system.
Vincent Verbeke
CEO of ENGIE Belgium
Around 400 Tractebel colleagues have worked in integrated teams with ENGIE Electrabel to extend the lifetime of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors by 10 additional years. I want to thank all our nuclear experts for their professionalism, commitment and dedication. Thanks to our strong engineering expertise in nuclear in Belgium, let's go for a new decade of neutral carbon energy with those 2 units.
Denis Dumont
Chief Officer, Business Area Gas Energy and Nuclear & Country Leader Belgium, Tractebel