17 Dec (NucNet): The scheduled restart of the Doel-3 nuclear reactor unit in Belgium has been postponed because of issues related to planning and not because of any abnormality with the plant, operator Electrabel said. According to Electrabel’s operational schedule the 1,006-MW pressurised water reactor unit had been scheduled to restart today, 17 December 2015. Doel-3 was originally taken offline in 2012, along with Tihange-2, because of uncertainties over the structural integrity of their reactor pressure vessels. In June 2013 the units were restarted, but were shut down again in March 2014 after unexpected results from additional tests. Last month Belgium’s regulator authorised the restart of both Tihange-2 and Doel-3 based on satisfactory results from structural assessments. Tihange-2, a 1,008-MW PWR, was restarted earlier this week. Electrabel’s schedule also shows that the Doel-1 and Doel-2 nuclear units are scheduled to restart on 24 December and 19 December respectively. Doel-1 was shut down in February 2015 when it reached the end of its 40-year operating life and Doel-2 has been in a maintenance outage since October 2015. Both units have had their commercial operating licences extended by 10 years until 2025. There are seven reactor units in commercial operation in Belgium, four at Doel and three at Tihange. Together, they generate about 55 percent of the country’s electricity.
