Germany asks Belgium to temporarily close two nuclear reactors

German environment minister Barbara Hendricks has asked Belgium to close the nuclear reactors Doel 3 in East Flanders and Tihange 2 in Liège province temporarily until they are determined to be safe. Germany will close down its own reactors by 2022, she said.

The two Belgian reactors were closed in 2012 when microscopic cracks were found in the concrete casing of the reactor cores. After a lengthy investigation, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control gave the go-ahead last November to owners Engie Electrabel to start the two reactors up again.

Germany and Belgium have an agreement allowing each other’s security agencies access to the nuclear installations of the other. Hendricks points to research by the German commission for nuclear safety, which was unable to confirm that Doel 3 and Tihange 2 have sufficient security reserves to cope in the event that new defects are discovered.

“I think it would be a good idea if they were taken off the grid,” she said, “at least until further investigation can be completed.”

Photo: Doel 3 is the large reactor pictured right