GDF Suez Considers Extending Life of Three Belgian Nuclear Power Plants

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--GDF Suez SA (EPA:GSZ) (Paris, France) has been preparing the case to extend the operating lives of three nuclear power plants in Belgium operated by subsidiary company Electrabel SA (Brussels, Belgium). However, the final decision will rest with the Belgian government.

GDF has indicated that it would be prepared to commit to the development of renewable energy resources in Belgium in return for a positive decision on prolonging the lifespans of the nuclear power plants, which are currently scheduled to stop operations in 2014-15.

The plants concerned are the oldest operating reactors in Belgium: Doel 1, Doel 2, and Tihange 1. Doel 1 and Doel 2 are located near the port of Antwerp, about 50 kilometers north of Brussels, and have generating capacities of 392 megawatts (MW) and 433 MW, respectively. Tihange 1 has a generating capacity of 962 MW and is located on the banks of the Meuse River near Liege.

The three plants have operating licenses that last 40 years. As Doel 1 was first connected to the national grid in 1974 and Doel 2 and Tihange were connected to the national grid in 1975, the plants will become unlicensed in 2014 and 2015. GDF, through Electrabel, would like to extend the operating licenses of each of the three plants by ten years.

All three reactors are pressurized water reactors and have been the subject of major component replacements in recent years. Both the Doel 1 and Doel 2 reactors have had their steam generators replaced. Doel 2 received two replacement steam generators in 2004, while Doel 1 underwent a similar upgrade in August this year. The replacement steam generators were manufactured and delivered by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (TYO:7011) (MHI) (Tokyo, Japan).

MHI also provided three replacement steam generators in 1995 for the Tihange 1 reactor. The steam generator is the component that transfers thermal energy generated by the nuclear reaction to a secondary coolant and uses this to generate steam to drive turbines to produce electricity. The new steam generators in the Doel and Tihange reactors are about 20 meters in length and weigh almost 270 tons.

By extending the operating lifetime of the existing nuclear reactors through preventative maintenance and key component replacements, utility companies such as Electrabel hope to avoid the opposition to and expense involved in the construction of new nuclear power plants. Some governments also see extending the life of existing power reactors as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and curtailing increases in the price of electricity.

In August, GDF and German power and gas company E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) (Dusseldorf, Germany) signed final agreements concerning the swap of 1,700 MW of power generating capacity in Europe. Under the agreement, E.ON acquired the rights to 770 MW of power from the Tihange 1, Doel 1 and Doel 2 nuclear power plants.

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