The Dutch government should consider facilitating a lifetime extension for the Borssele nuclear power plant beyond 2033 and should help support investment in new nuclear plants to attract capital for new and existing reactors, an International Energy Agency report on the country’s energy policy says.

The report says a lifetime extension for the single-unit Borssele could prove “of great benefit” to maintain low-carbon generation from the plant and the know-how of the Dutch nuclear sector, especially in terms of operating a power reactor.

According to Dutch law, the 482-MW Borssele plant is required to shut down at the end of 2033, which corresponds to a 60-year lifetime. An extension would require a change to the current law and a safety review by the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS).

However, the IEA report says licence renewal processes pioneered by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission define an enhanced safety review for extending reactor lifetimes up to 80 years and could serve as a template when examining the option of a lifetime extension for Borssele.