Belgium takes another nuclear reactor off its power grid

Brussels — Belgium took another nuclear reactor off its power grid on Tuesday evening as part of the country's nuclear phase-out.

Reactor number 2 at the Tihange power plant was disconnected at 22:45 pm (2145 GMT) on Tuesday after having been in service for 40 years, the news agency Belga reported, citing operator Engie Electrabel.

After a first reactor close to the Belgian city of Antwerp went offline in September, Tihange 2 is the second of a total of seven Belgian nuclear reactors which are to be disconnected by 2035.

The first two reactors affected by the phase-out are known for recurring safety issues. Both have been shut down repeatedly since cracks were discovered in the reactor pressure vessels in 2012, along with other problems.

The German city of Aachen, near the border with Belgium, and the federal German government have therefore repeatedly called for the nuclear power plants to be decommissioned in the past.

Belgium's nuclear phase-out was first decided in 2003 and scheduled to be completed by 2025, but given recent concerns over the security of energy supply throughout Europe the final exit was pushed back to 2035.

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