The nuclear power phase-out would be the mistake of the century

The news reports don’t lie. After a long silence, the energy dependency of Europe and Flanders is once again at the top of the agenda. Perhaps higher than ever. When it comes to energy, then affordability, sustainability and security must be brought into the proper proportion. For policymakers, it is a difficult balance to strike.

Wavering

A balancing act that has been keeping the federal government busy for a long time. The first energy agreement came about with quite a bit of wavering, and the Ukraine crisis is only making it even weaker. Then the government once again triumphantly presented the second package of measures yesterday, which consisted of a few crumbs instead of the political decisiveness that our people now need.

For example, they proudly presented a temporary VAT reduction to 6%. That means an amount of only EUR 89 gross on gas from April to September, and only EUR 114 gross on electricity from March to September. This measure comes far too late, as the sky-high bills from the winter period have already been paid.  So it can hardly be called a trophy, especially if you know that that amount is neatly taken back by the government through the wage indexation.

Skew

Another striking element was the fuel oil premium of EUR 200. Considering the fact that about 70% of Flemish people heat their homes with natural gas and 52% of Walloons use fuel oil, one can speak of a considerable skew to the detriment of the Flemish taxpayer.

In the meantime, Flanders opts for long-term measures such as a substantial budget increase for renovation, insulation, heat pumps and renewable energy to EUR 658 million, while the federal government goes for minimal and temporary options. A missed opportunity that makes accusing the Flemish Government look hypocritical. On top of that, the federal government talks about offshore wind turbines, but has yet to put anything into practice. So far, they have only signed agreements and carried out some studies. However, there will be no expansion of offshore energy production in the first five years.

Is this really the great financial relief for the population? Hardly! This is mainly communication with which one hopes to make a good impression before the hot topic of this legislature is discussed: the nuclear power phase-out. Because that implies more natural gas, higher energy prices and even more taxpayers’ money to build gas-fired power stations.

From heroic communication to timid whispers

As if that was not already a problem before the war in Ukraine, the government was forced to face the facts after Putin’s invasion; that energy dependence on dictatorial regimes might not be the best plan for our future supply. Minister Van der Straeten’s invariably heroic communication, in which she presented herself as the minister who finally made progress with the energy dossier, turned into timid whispers about how we might need to take a closer look at Plan B after all. For the sake of clarity, the negotiations about it have barely started.

As many nuclear power stations open as possible

In short, the cards have been shuffled too much to even advocate a 10-year extension for our two newest nuclear power stations. No, if we are really serious about the ambition to make Europe more energy independent, we will have to keep as many nuclear power stations open as possible, as long as it is safe to do so. This is also the message of the International Energy Agency. For a number of nuclear power stations in this country, this means that their use could well be extended to 60 years; the Nuclear Research Centre has already indicated that even 80 years should be possible for the two newest stations. A government now coming out with an extension of 10 years or less is only doing so to make the Groen party’s sharp turn less painful.

Common sense over green dogmas

The crumbs that are now being thrown at the population are already giving an uneasy feeling that the federal government does not know how to intervene sustainably when we lose control over our energy prices. It is therefore crucial that common sense is placed above the green dogmas this Friday. Those who now make the well-considered choice for gas subject our country even more to the whims of geopolitics. Dear Federal Government, show that political courage. Because a nuclear power phase-out would be the mistake of the century in these times.