So. Just how is that renewable thing going, guys?

Belgium has reached an agreement with French utility Engie to extend the life of two nuclear reactors by 10 years, the prime minister said on Monday, overturning a plan to exit nuclear power in 2025 as the war in Ukraine has changed energy strategy.

The Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors – the newest of Belgium’s seven reactors – were due to close for good in 2025, but will now restart in November 2026 after necessary work and will continue operating for 10 years.

“The extension of these two nuclear reactors is crucial to guarantee our energy security,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told a news conference after meeting cabinet members.

They’d been kicking around the idea of putting the brakes on since last spring, but the negotiations to actually get things up and back running took some time. And not a moment too soon, considering all the generation capacity they were fixing to lose.

…Belgium’s six operating nuclear reactors have a combined capacity of about 5 gigawatt and generate about half of the country’s electricity, World Nuclear Association data show. One reactor, Doel 3, closed last year and the others had all been due to close in 2025.

The Belgian government sounded happy as clams that they’d managed to pull most of the rug out of the proverbial fire. Even though it won’t help them this winter, it’s a bulwark against a darker future.

…”We made an important decision today,” De Croo said. “In short: works can start tomorrow for the extension of the two youngest nuclear power plants. Secondly, we are taking our energy fate back into our own hands.”

At the end of March, the De Croo government decided to keep the two youngest nuclear power plants open for ten years longer than provided for in the Nuclear Exit Act (2003). The nuclear power plants must ensure the power supply now that Russia has gradually turned off the gas valve and multiple French nuclear power plants are experiencing major technical problems.

…”What we have decided here is about a cornerstone of our supply. We will do everything we can to ensure that the extension is completed as quickly as possible,” said De Croo. “Does that mean that everything has been decided today? No, absolutely not. But that was not the intention either.”

The delay in restarting the plants was due to negotiations about rates and nuclear waste disposal (among other sticking points) with the French company, Engie, which runs the plants. It sounds as if it got pretty acrimonious at times.

It’s always the details that bite you. It also doesn’t hurt when you know you’ve got one party over a barrel in desperation.

…The accord with Engie comes after months of fierce negotiation with the Belgian authorities over key questions such as how to set up the joint venture running the reactors and capping costs for the disposing of nuclear waste.

Germany has to be heaving a huge sigh of relief because their rush to Green renewable destruction depends on tapping Belgian nuclear power for back-up. Right? What’s with that?

It just proves how delusional these schemes are, and how fragile when one part of the pyramid goes down. The rest start to totter.

…Currently, Belgium is already in a situation where we help other countries, De Croo said. Belgium already exports electricity, among other things, and ensures that there are no shortages in Germany, for example. Additionally, a joint structure is being set up to manage the two reactors: the Belgian State and Engie will each become 50% shareholders.

Additionally, the French are finally starting to bring their aging nuclear plants back online after starting 2023 at a record low. The current warm spell across Europe may just save everyone’s bacon.

French nuclear output is set to start 2023 at a record low with at least six reactors offline over the holiday period due to short fuel savings outages and 12 reactors unavailable owing to long-term outages, system data showed Dec. 29.

…The real challenge for EDF, however, is long-term outages linked to stress corrosion issues with five reactors — Civaux 1 and 2, Chooz 1 and 2 and Penly 1– being offline since 2021.

Civaux 1 is scheduled to return first on Jan. 15.

Nine reactors are scheduled to start 2023 maintenance in January and February with St Laurent 1 first to come offline on Jan. 21.

Bloomberg called it a “sigh of relief for everybody” but a lot of industry sources aren’t quite as bullish. France’ nukes are older and still only running at 2/3 capacity on their best day.

Newer Belgian plants staying in operation are better for everyone. Perhaps they’ll rethink the others.

Seeing as how all their other big Green plans have worked out so well…