The Energeek Belgium: The exit of the nuclear stripped by the Minister of the Environment of Flanders written by: The editorial staff: next events:

This November 15, 2021, the debate on the future energetic of Belgium was still complexed.While the country has still not managed to present a credible plan to respect its commitments from the Paris Agreement, the Minister of the Environment of Flanders, Zuhal Demir, refused the installation of a gas plantin Vilvorde, thus relating the debate on the exit of nuclear in Belgium.

What energy and climatic policy for Belgium?

This affair perfectly illustrates the complexity and paradoxes of the Belgian political system, and the dead ends that it can cause.In a European energy transition and green deal movement, Belgium is trying to compose an energy future.But the country still comes up against the strategies to be implemented.And failed to present an agreement on its climatic objectives during the COP26.

The thorny question of nuclear was even relaunched, and remains whole this Monday, November 15, 2021.The country has indeed been slow to decide on this issue, to the point that Cerie, operator of the Belgian nuclear power plants, had ended up acting the Belgian exit from nuclear, without any political confirmation, but noting that it was too late forPlan an extension of active power plants.

Since then, the federal government of Prime Minister Alexander de Croo has confirmed this choice of 2025 as the deadline for a nuclear power. Or, Alexander de Croo, membre du parti libéral Open VLD, est à la tête d’une large coalition, comprenant des libéraux (Open VLD, flamands, MR, wallons), des écologistes (Groen, flamands, Ecolo, wallons), des socialistes (Vooruit, flamands, PS, wallons) et les sociaux-démocrates flamands du CD&V.

Energy issues are certainly the competence of the federal government, but regional government can easily block certain decisions, and thus put pressure on the country.

Vegetable Gardening : How to Harvest & Store Rosemary: Rosemary is a woody shrub that is perennial in some pla...http: // t.CO/UCHHVWDEIL

— Manzel Caudle Mon Mar 16 02:14:02 +0000 2015

The Flemish Minister of the Environment refuses the construction of a gas plant ...

This is exactly what is happening in Flanders.The region is also supposed to get out of nuclear in 2025.To avoid blackout on this date, the country must increase its electrical production capacity by gas plants.

However, the Minister of the Environment of Flanders, Zuhal Demir, has just refused the construction of a gas plant in Vilvorde, with a power of 875 MW, after having rebuilt projects of the same type in Tessenderlo and Dilsen-Stokkem.The minister justified her decision by ammonia and nitrogen oxides transmitting regulatory regional thresholds.

In Wallonia, Engie has planned to build an identical power station, in Awirs (near Liège), and another, smaller, in Amercoeur, and the Walloon government validated these two projects, considering them regulatory.

Mais si le gouvernement wallon est dominé par une coalition entre le PS, le MR et Ecolo (tous au gouvernement), la Flandre est dirigée par une coalition menée par les nationalistes flamands du N-VA (absents du gouvernement), aux cotés des libéraux d’Open VLD et des sociaux-démocrates du CD&V (qui sont, eux, au gouvernement).

… A strategy to question the release of Belgium nuclear in 2025?

Or, Zuhal Demir est membre du N-VA, un mouvement plutôt favorable, comme les libéraux et les sociaux-démocrates (MR, Open VLD, CD&V), au nucléaire, à l’inverse des socialistes et des écologistes, qui y sont fermement opposés.

Georges-Louis Bouchez, president of the MR, also made a very clear footing in this direction, opposing the construction of new gas power plants in the country: "I do not like nuclear but Ieven less likes CO2 shows, ”he explains.On the side of environmentalists, the president of Groen Meyrem Almaci judged that Zuhal Demir's decision was a “sabotage policy”.

Engie will probably challenge this refusal to the Local Litigation Council, but this procedure may last for years, and the decision will occur too late for the 2025 deadline.In an emergency, the most likely solution is to increase the capacity of Walloon gas power plants, at the risk, for some analyst, to make Wallonia "the country's CO2 trash" ".