Updated September 22, 2021
Belgium
| Belgium | Regional Avg. | |
|---|---|---|
| GDP Per Capita | $44,594 | $37,939 |
| Electricity Generation Per Capita | 7833 kWh | 6783 kWh |
| Nuclear Share | 53% | 22% |
| Total Clean Energy Share | 37% | 62% |
| Carbon Intensity (CO2eq/MWh) | 122 kg | 260 kg |
| Electricity Cost (USD/kWh) | $0.31 | $0.26 |
| Nuclear Capacity at Risk (MW) | 5910 | 2100 |
| Primary Backup Fuel | Gas | Gas/Coal |
Belgium’s 7 nuclear reactors account for 71% of Belgium’s clean energy and 38% of Belgium’s electricity .
Belgium’s nuclear plants are at risk of closing and has caused the country to import more energy. In 2017, import consumption was 8%. In 2018 it rose to 22%.
Between 2013 and 2018 the share of electricity from nuclear declined by 13%.
If Belgium closes its nuclear plants, its share of electricity produced from fossil fuels will rise from 38 percent in 2018 to 59 percent by the end of this decade.
In 2019, Belgium’s energy authorities warned that the country will face electricity shortages if nuclear is phased out in 2025.
The planned closure of Belgium’s nuclear plants threatens Germany’s energy supply, which is heavily invested in renewables, because it needs baseload power from Belgium.
No major political party has yet stepped forward to endorse extending the life of Belgium’s nuclear plants.
The owner of Belgium’s nuclear plants, French natural gas and renewables giant Engie, is ambivalent about keeping the plants online.
Belgium’s current Energy Minister, Green Party member Tinne Van der Straeten, claims to want to leave fossil fuels underground, yet has spent much of her time out of office dedicated to closing nuclear plants and replacing them with natural gas and renewables.
With the threat of nuclear closures in 2022, EP and our allies held a nuclear pride fest in Brussels in April 2019 and in September 2021, persuading the Belgian public to continue the fight in saving their cleanest energy source.
