Belgium 2020
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Country Nuclear Power Profiles 2020 Edition BELGIUM (Updated 2020) PREAMBLE This report provides information on the status and development of nuclear power programmes in Belgium, including factors related to the effective planning, decision making and implementation of the nuclear power programme that together lead to safe and economical operations of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The CNPP summarizes organizational and industrial aspects of nuclear power programmes and provides information about the relevant legislative, regulatory and international framework in Belgium. There are seven nuclear power reactors in commercial operation in Belgium, four in Doel and three in Tihange. Having been connected to the grid between 1974 and 1985, they have an average age of 40 years. In 2003, the federal Parliament passed a law prohibiting the construction of new nuclear units intended for the industrial production of electricity by nuclear fission in Belgium, while limiting the operation of existing reactors to 40 years. According to this law, nuclear fission energy was to be phased out between 2015 and 2025. However, successive governments have amended the law in order to ensure the security of supply of electricity — extending the operating licences of the three oldest reactors by ten years — but always confirming the decision to phase out all nuclear power reactors by 2025. Together, these plants can generate about 55% of the country’s electricity needs. In 2019, they produced 43 524 GW?h or 46.6% of total electricity production. 1. COUNTRY ENERGY OVERVIEW 1.1. ENERGY INFORMATION 1.1.1. Energy policy Each of the three regions of Belgium (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region) and each of the three linguistic communities (Dutch, French and German speaking) has its own executive and legislative bodies, at the same hierarchical level as the federal Parliament and Government. The (linguistic) communities are primarily responsible for cultural affairs and education, which includes most research and development (R&D) funding. The economic and energy policy responsibilities are distributed between the federal State and the three regions. However, policy related to the nuclear sector, the nuclear fuel cycle and R&D in both nuclear fusion and fission remains exclusively under the federal Government. The federal Government is responsible for the following: Security of supply; National prospective studies; Nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear R&D programmes; Large stockholding installations; Production and transmission/transport of energy (electricity grid >70 kV), including large storage infrastructure; Transport tariffs (federal regulator — Commission for the Regulation of Electricity and Gas (CREG)); Energy statistics and balances; Offshore wind energy. The regional competencies include: 1 of 25 Promotion of the efficient use of energy; New and renewable sources of energy (not including nuclear); Non-nuclear energy R&D; Market regulation for distribution; Distribution and transmission of electricity (electricity grid <70 kV); Public distribution of natural gas; Distribution tariffs (regional regulators — Flemish Regulation Entity for Electricity and Gas markets (VREG), Walloon Commission for Energy (CWaPE) and Commission for Energy Regulation in the Brussels Capital Region (BRUGEL)); District heating equipment and networks; Recovery of waste energy from industry or other uses; Regional energy statistics and balances. At the federal level, energy matters are handled by the Directorate-General for Energy, which is a part of the Federal Public Service (FPS) Economy, SMEs, Self-Employed and Energy (SMEs refers to small and medium sized enterprises); environmental issues are handled by the FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment; while the FPS Mobility and Transport is responsible for most matters which relate to the mobility related use of energy. At the end of 2019, Belgium submitted to the European Commission its final 10 year integrated national energy and climate plan (NECP) under the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action (EU/2018/1999), indicating the most important objectives and measures for energy and climate policy for the period 2021–2030. 1.1.2. Estimated available energy Table 1 shows estimated available energy by source. TABLE 1. ESTIMATED AVAILABLE ENERGY SOURCES Estimated available energy sources Fossil fuels Nuclear Renewables Other Solid Liquid Gas Uranium Hydro renewable Total amount in specific units* 0 0 0 0 <0.1 <0.1 Total amount in exajoules (EJ) 0 0 0 0 <0.1 <0.1 * Solid, liquid: million tonnes; gas: billion m 3; uranium: metric tonnes; hydro, renewable: TW Note: Solid and gas reserves are not economically exploitable. Source: FPS Economy — DG Energy (&[email protected]). 1.1.3. Energy statistics Table 2 contains selected energy statistics. TABLE 2. ENERGY STATISTICS Compound annual growth rate CAGR = (EV/BV) 1/n - 1 where: EV = Ending value;BV = Beginning value;n = Number of years (10 years usually). Average annual growth rate (%) 1980 1990 2000 2005 2010 2015 2017 2018* 2010–2018* Energy consumption [EJ]** - Total 2.04 2.01 2.43 2.44 2.56 2.25 2.37 2.29 -1.38 -Solids*** 0.52 0.44 0.34 0.22 0.16 0.14 0.13 0.13 -2.56 - Liquids 0.90 0.74 0.95 0.99 1.03 0.98 0.96 0.96 –0.88 - Gases 0.41 0.34 0.56 0.62 0.70 0.59 0.61 0.62 –1.51 - Nuclear 0.14 0.47 0.53 0.52 0.52 0.28 0.46 0.31 -6.26 - Hydro <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 — - Other renewables 0.07 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.11 0.16 0.17 0.18 +6.35 Energy production - Total 0.30 0.45 0.57 0.58 0.65 0.44 0.62 0.48 -3.72 2 of 25 - Solids*** 0.18 0.04 0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 — - Liquids 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 — - Gases <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 — - Nuclear 0.12 0.40 0.53 0.52 0.52 0.28 0.46 0.31 -6.26 - Hydro <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 — - Other renewables 0.00 0.01 0.04 0.06 0.10 0.13 0.13 0.14 +4.30 Net import (Import–Export) - Total 1.81 1.71 2.12 2.25 2.26 2.13 2.01 2.22 -0.22 * Latest available official data. ** Energy consumption = Primary energy consumption + Net import (Import–Export) of secondary energy. *** Solid fuels include coal, lignite. —: Data not available. Source: FPS Economy — DG Energy (&[email protected]). 1.2. THE ELECTRICITY SYSTEM 1.2.1. Electricity system and decision making process Owing the fact that Belgium is a federal State with energy responsibilities distributed between the federal State and the regions, the Belgian electricity market is subdivided into a Flemish, Walloon and Brussels market, with each of these markets being only partly dependent on the legal framework of the federal level. As part of its duties, Belgium’s high voltage transmission system operator ELIA drew up a multiannual plan for the development of the federal transmission grid in 2015. It did so in partnership with the Belgian Directorate-General for Energy and the Federal Planning Bureau. The development plan covers a ten year period (2015–2025); is compatible with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) Ten Year Network Development Plan (2014–2024) and takes account of the latest prospective study carried out by the Directorate-General for Energy in cooperation with the Federal Planning Bureau (in French). Belgium is also reinforcing interconnection capacities with its neighbours: The project ALEGrO involves the realization of a 90 km high voltage direct current (HVDC) link with a bidirectional rated power of approximately 1000 MW capacity, as the first interconnection between Belgium (Lixhe) and Germany (Oberzier). Commissioning is expected at the end of 2020. The 1 GW HVDC NEMO Link interconnector between the United Kingdom and Belgium commenced commercial operations on 31 January 2019. The BRABO project is upgrading the high voltage grid and improving security of supply at the Port of Antwerp and is part of greater efforts to upgrade Belgium’s electricity grid and to increase import capacity from the Netherlands. Commissioning of phase II is expected by the end of 2021. 1.2.2. Structure of the electric power sector Each region has its own regulatory institution for electricity and gas markets: VREG, CWaPE and BRUGEL. The three regional regulators are responsible for the licensing and regulation of the distribution of natural gas and electricity, the transmission of electricity below 70 kV, technical regulations for the management and extension of natural gas networks, the monitoring of retail market competition in the regional electricity and gas markets and the green certificate schemes, the arbitration of grid access disputes and the advising of the respective regional governments. The federal regulator for the electricity and gas markets is CREG. This commission advises public authorities on the functions of the electricity market and monitors the application of related laws and regulations. It also regulates and licenses electricity transmission above 70 kV, approves transmission tariffs and monitors the wholesale market at the national level. The operating costs of the CREG are covered by licensing fees and levies on electricity and natural gas. The four Belgian regulators for electricity and gas launched a structural consultative process in the framework of the Forum of Belgian Energy Regulators (FORBEG). It is an informal platform for discussion and voluntary collaboration and information exchange between the regulators, with a plenary session and several working groups focusing on the following issues: technical questions, information, complaints, green power, tariffs and strategy.