Table of Contents
Context of the Consultation
On 1 April 2022, the federal government of Belgium approved a preliminary draft law amending the law of 31 January 2003 on the gradual exit from nuclear energy for industrial electricity production.
This preliminary draft law aims to authorise the activation of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors for a further 10 years, and this after taking into account the results of the environmental impact assessment, public consultation, consultation of the concerned authorities and transboundary consultations within the meaning of Directive 2011/92/EU of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora and Directive 2009/147/EC of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds, in accordance with the judgment with reference 34/2020 of the Constitutional Court of 5 March 2020.
The project plays a vital role in safeguarding the country's electricity security, also the project is in line with the policy the European Commission wishes to pursue for increased independence from fossil fuels and diversified energy supply.
Documentation on the Environmental Impact Assessment "Extension of the lifetime of Doel 4 and Tihange 3"
The environmental impact report is available in French, Dutch and German, as well as a courtesy translation in English (PDF, 545.28 KB). The non-technical summary is available in French, Dutch, German and English.
- Évaluation environnementale du report de la désactivation de Doel 4 et Tihange 3 (PDF, 14.57 MB) (FR)
- Non-technical summary (PDF, 871.52 KB)
A clarification note on the impacts of nitrogen (PDF, 939.37 KB) was provided by independent experts following opinion 75.109/16 from the Council of State.
Public Consultation
From March 20 to May 20, 2023, any natural or legal person was able to participate in a public consultation on the entire environmental impact assessment file concerning the postponement of the deactivation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3.
People were able to submit their comments via mail, via the online form and via the competent authorities.
All of the responses recorded on the dedicated site as well as the responses sent directly to the FPS Economy as part of this public survey were analysed. You can consult the details of the analysis in the document “Public and cross-border consultation concerning the postponement of the deactivation of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear power plants (PDF, 8.52 MB)" (FR).
Opinion of concerned national authorities
Regional authorities
- Avis de Bruxelles Environnement (PDF, 1.15 MB)
- Avis de la Région wallonne (PDF, 792.58 KB)
- Advies van de Vlaamse overheid (PDF, 338.81 KB)
Local authorities
Environmental Authorities
- Avis de l’Agence fédérale de contrôle nucléaire (AFCN) (PDF, 324.79 KB)
- Avis de l’Organisme national des déchets radioactifs et des matières fissiles enrichies (ONDRAF) (PDF, 2.13 MB)
Transboundary notifications
On 20 March 2023, countries within a 1000 km radius of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors were notified of the environmental impact assessment as part of the project of the postponement of the deactivation of these reactors.
You can consult the institutional reactions communicated by the countries. Note that personal data and reactions from individuals have been removed from these documents.
Germany
Austria
- dialogue with Austria (PDF, 584.88 KB)
- reactions of the Austrian authorities (PDF, 3.4 MB)
- reactions of the Austrian NGO (PDF, 1.41 MB)
Denmark
Hungary
Ireland
Luxembourg
- reactions of the Luxembourgian authorities (PDF, 3.82 MB)
- reactions of the Luxembourgian NGO (PDF, 4.83 MB)
Norway
The Netherlands
Poland
Czechia
Sweden
