Belgium parliament votes to reverse ending of nuclear power

• 3 days ago (2025-05-20)
• David Flin

Europe 1117 Nuclear 684

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The Belgium parliament has voted overwhelmingly (102 in favour, 8 against, 31 abstentions) in support of a bill to reverse a law enacted in 2003 that mandated an end to nuclear power generation in the country.

In 2003, a Federal Act was passed that banned the building more nuclear power plants. At that time, the country had eight reactors nearing the end of their design operational life. It currently has two reactors undergoing decommissioning and two – Doel 4 and Tihange 3 – still operating.

Mathieu Bihet, Belgium’s Energy Minister, said that the legislation will “give Belgium the means to guarantee an energy mix based on today’s reality. It is no longer a question of pitting energy sources against each other in a binary and sterile way, but of using them pragmatically and complementarily. The move is indispensable in light of the international context and current geopolitical uncertainty.”

The bill does not in itself allow work to start on the construction of new nuclear power stations. However, it does clear the way for future legislation to do so.