Electricity shortage (in Belgium), blackout or power cuts planned for this winter

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Exnihiloest
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Re: Electricity shortage in Belgium, expected blackout this winter




by Exnihiloest » 18/01/19, 22:39

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Re: Electricity shortage in Belgium, expected blackout this winter




by moinsdewatt » 26/01/19, 01:33

ENGIE: Doel 2 nuclear reactor from Engie in Belgium will restart

REUTERS | THE 25 / 01 2019

Belgium has authorized Friday the restart of the number two reactor of the Doel nuclear power plant (East Flanders), shut down since April after the discovery of a leak in the cooling system of the reactor number one.


The Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) had demanded to know the cause of this leak before authorizing the restart of the reactors, operated by Electrabel, a Belgian subsidiary of Engie, and both shut down due to their identical structure.

Analyzes showed that this leakage was due to material fatigue and the corresponding pipe in the Doel 2 cooling system was replaced.

"This means that all of FANC's questions and remarks concerning Doel 2 have been clarified. Given that the safety of the installations is guaranteed, the Doel 2 reactor will be able to restart in the next few days, in accordance with Engie Electrabel's schedule" , writes the FANC in a press release.


Repairs are not yet completed at Doel 1.

In December, Electrabel extended the Doel 15 shutdown until 1 in March.

The reactors at this plant near Antwerp had to stop production in 2015, but the Belgian government later extended their operations by 10 years.



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Re: Electricity shortage in Belgium, expected blackout this winter




by moinsdewatt » 12/01/20, 23:16

Good news from Belgian nuclear. :D

2019, an excellent nuclear vintage for Belgium

10 Jan 2020

No more cascading incidents. Belgian nuclear power plants recovered almost full production capacity last year.

From our correspondent Max HELLEFF (Brussels) -

Microcracked tanks, a rising slab and a host of technical incidents: the past few years have been very difficult for Belgian nuclear power plants. Between October and November 2018, only one reactor (out of seven) was operational, forcing the operator Engie to set up alternative means of production to avoid the shortage of electricity.

But in 2019, the nightmare seems to have ended. The availability of the fleet reached 78%. “We found availability in line with international standards, set around 80%. Nuclear power plants have made it possible to cover on average half of the country's electrical needs with local production and 100% carbon-free, ”says Anne-Sophie Hugé, spokesperson for Engie.

Suspension of reparation
However, Belgian nuclear power plants are old. Several reactors have exceeded the age limit of 40 which should have led to their shutdown. But of reprieve in repairs, Doel (Antwerp) and Tihange (Huy) could continue to function.

Doel 4 even managed to end the year without interruption. Last fall, Doel 1 and 2 were arrested for overhaul, but will be turned back on in the spring. Ditto for Tihange 1, put on pause on December 31, and which will be relaunched next July.

One notable thing: the seven Belgian reactors accomplished a small feat last year by producing electricity - all together - for 64 days, between the end of July and the end of September.

Engie Electrabel believes that this level of production cannot be repeated in 2020, however, several stops are planned as part of the Long Term Operation (LTO) action plan. This takes over the investments (1,3 billion euros) and the measures necessary to extend the operating period of three units built in 1975 by ten years, namely Tihange 1, Doel 1 and Doel 2. These investments are the result of an agreement signed in 2015 between Engie Electrabel and the Michel government.



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Re: Electricity shortage in Belgium, expected blackout this winter




by moinsdewatt » 23/11/20, 09:24

Belgium: nuclear exit confirmed in 2025, Engie throws in the towel

November 20 2020

This time it is indeed the end for Belgian nuclear power. Acknowledging the government's desire to respect the exit schedule which provides for the final shutdown of the country's 7 reactors by 2025, Engie, their operator, informed its staff that the company was stopping all projects aimed at extend their lifespan.
To ensure the country's electricity supply, the executive must now put in place the alternatives that will compensate for the loss of 6 GW of nuclear capacity. Alongside the construction of new gas-fired power plants and an acceleration of the development of renewable energies, other complementary solutions are planned, combining storage, demand management, interconnections with neighboring networks and reductions in consumption. .


Decided in 2003 by a “rainbow” government alliance which included the Greens, the exit from nuclear power in Belgium was not really prepared by the following governments. Rid of environmentalists, they first amended the law twice to extend the life of the three oldest reactors by ten years. Subsequently, they did not do much to accelerate the energy transition and develop alternative electricity production. Belgium is also one of the poor performers who in 2020 did not reach the renewable energy production target assigned by Europe: only 11,68% of the energy consumption of Belgians is today covered by green energies instead of the planned 13%.

But today the situation has changed: back in power since September, the Belgian Greens have obtained from their partners confirmation of the timetable for phasing out nuclear power as set out in the 2003 law.
The coalition agreement indeed provides for the gradual shutdown between 2022 and 2025 of the kingdom's seven reactors, distributed among the two power plants of Doel and Tihange. However, the text specifies that the government reserves the right to delay the shutdown of the two youngest reactors if, at the end of 2, it appears that the security of the country's electricity supply was not guaranteed.

This clause, however, does not please Engie, the operator of the two plants. The energy company informed the Belgian State that if the last two units were to be extended beyond 2025, the decision should be taken no later than the end of 2020. “Preparing the shutdown of a nuclear power plant is a very important operation. heavy and very complex, and we can not imagine that we are told at the last moment to continue producing ”explained Jean-Pierre Clamadieu the president of Engie, in front of the French senators who auditioned him a few days ago.

“Smart” release confirmed in 2025
For its part, the Belgian government does not intend to give in to the pressure. "We are going to do it intelligently to manage the phase-out of nuclear power in 2025", Prime Minister Alexander De Croo promised to the deputies. “Continuously postponing a schedule that has already been decided does not help us when it comes to making choices for the future,” he added. "We are going to do it in an orderly manner, both technically and socially," said Tine Vander Straeten, Minister of Energy.

Drawing the consequences of this reaffirmed government will, Engie seems to want to throw in the towel and is preparing to draw a line on Belgian nuclear power. This week, the group warned staff at its two power plants that it was stopping all plans to extend their lifespan.

“This very strong government position forces us to prepare for a change of course. We must now focus all our resources, in personnel and material, in order to prepare for the final shutdown and dismantling of our 7 units. This means, for us, that we are accelerating a complete phase-out of nuclear power in 2025 ”explained Thierry Saegeman, Belgian nuclear boss at Engie, addressing his employees. A decision commented in these terms by Tine Vander Straeten: "I am happy that one of the largest operators in our country is saying: we take note of the coalition agreement and we are committed to the coalition agreement".

However, Engie does not intend to leave the Belgian market. “Today we produce half of the electricity consumed in Belgium, and we are the largest supplier of renewable electricity in the country. We want to keep this share, ”explains Thierry Saegeman. The company wants to prepare for its future by participating, in particular, in the construction of gas-fired power stations to replace, in part, the nuclear units that have been shut down.

overcapacity
If the cumulative power of the Belgian nuclear fleet amounts to 6 GW, it must be understood that the power plants were not operating at their maximum capacity. In 2018, their load rate did not exceed 50%. The cause: repeated breakdowns, micro-crack problems detected in the tanks of 2 reactors, relatively long downtimes to carry out maintenance and upgrade work on the security systems… and even sabotage! For a while, only one of the seven reactors was in service. However, the Belgian electricity network has never been in difficulty and no cut has taken place.

"In fact, Belgium has long been in a situation of electric overcapacity" recently explained Fawaz AL Bitar, managing director of Edora, the association of renewable energy producers, in front of the microphones of the RTBF.
A context that has slowed down energy transition initiatives and the development of alternative energies. "Extending the old power stations for another 10 years is not a solution because that would only perpetuate this situation of overcapacity which prevents the development of alternatives" adds Fawaz Al Bitar.

What solutions to overcome the shutdown of power plants?
This situation of overcapacity puts into perspective the challenge that looms over the shutdown of power plants. A study carried out by Elia (the operator of the high-voltage electricity transmission network) predicts that, without nuclear power, the supply deficit for the winter of 2025-2026 would be 3,9 GW; at least if by then no new capacity was put into service. The CREG (Electricity and Gas Regulatory Commission) is more optimistic: according to it the deficit would be of the order of 2,2 to 2,4 GW.

To fill this gap, green electricity projects will of course continue to develop. Fawaz Al Bitar estimates that they could cover 50% of the needs within ten years. In particular, the federal government confirmed its willingness to open up for auction a second offshore wind farm in the North Sea for a total capacity of 2 GW. Engie also points out that the group plans to install 1 GW of green electricity on land and 1 GW of offshore turbines.

But all these projects will certainly not be finalized when the nuclear reactors are all shut down. To guarantee the country's electricity supply after the nuclear phase-out, the previous Belgian government had studied a Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM). This is a form of support that would be granted, on the basis of a call for tenders, to new production capacities. "Engie has several gas-fired power plant projects in its boxes to respond to the call for tenders," Thierry Saegeman recalled in particular.

These CRM subsidies could also remunerate voluntary reductions in electricity consumption. We speak of “erasure” or “demand management”. Electro-intensive industries could, for example, be “rewarded” for reducing or postponing their use of electricity during peaks in consumption. Households could also participate in what is called “diffuse erasure”. Thus, APERE [1] pleads in its magazine Renouvelle for "a citizen reserve, where 500.000 households would be remunerated to occasionally reduce their electricity consumption when electricity production is too low".


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Christophe
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Re: Electricity shortage in Belgium, expected blackout this winter




by Christophe » 26/06/22, 16:51

Schleus bastards! : Mrgreen: : Mrgreen: : Mrgreen:

The Moselle plant could restart during next winter, given the war in Ukraine and tensions on the energy market.

st_avold_centrale_charbon.png
st_avold_centrale_charbon.png (452.18 KiB) Viewed 2201 times


https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/centrale ... 015_23.php
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sicetaitsimple
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Re: Electricity shortage (in Belgium), blackout or power cuts planned for this winter




by sicetaitsimple » 26/06/22, 17:05

It would be better to post in the "Gazprom, Putin's G-bomb" thread, where I have already listed European countries rolling back coal power plant closures.
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Re: Electricity shortage (in Belgium), blackout or power cuts planned for this winter




by Christophe » 26/06/22, 17:31

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