Belgium sticks with nuclear

Belgium's three oldest nuclear power stations will remain in operation until 2025, announces De Standaard, for as long as the three more recent nuclear power stations in the country. The Minister for Energy, socialist Paul Magnette, took the decision following the submission of a report from Gemix, which cites forecasts of energy shortages from international experts. According to a law passed in 2003, the power stations were scheduled to close in 2015. In exchange for the extension of the life of the power stations, Belgium's power company, Electrabel, which belongs to French group GDF-Suez, will be obliged to pay a fixed portion of its profits to the state, invest in renewable energy, and maintain prices at an acceptable level. The Green parties immediately condemned "wheeling and dealing between Electrabel and the government." Quoted in De Morgen, member of parliament Tinne Van der Straeten takes the view that the Minister has guaranteed Electrabel's monopoly "in return for some small change for his budget," and points out that the company's profits "will be paid to France." In conclusion, she avers that "the French can now crack open the champagne," while "Belgium continues to operate the oldest nuclear power stations in the world."