The Doel-3 nuclear power plant in Belgium was permanently shut down on Friday (23 September) in line with the government’s nuclear phaseout law, bringing the number of commercial units in operation in the country to six.

Press reports had earlier claimed the prime minister Alexander De Croo had been negotiating options for mothballing and possible later restarts.

Tihange-2 is scheduled to close by February 2023 and reports said it might also be restarted at a later date.

Doel’s majority owner, the French energy corporation Engie, has denied it has been asked to investigate the possibility of restarting the unit. The plant operator is Electrabel, an Engie subsidiary.