Horizon 238, Open Letter To Belgian Government To Stop Nuclear Phaseout

Horizon 238 is a Brussels-based group of young engineers supporting nuclear energy for a carbon-free world and for a clean and sustainable future.

The group recently released an open letter to the Belgian government, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and the Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten in the Belgian newspaper La Libre, advocating for a reconsideration of the country’s nuclear phaseout, approved by law in 2003.

The open letter received the support of more than 100 people from academia, NGOs and industry.

Open letter to the Belgian Government: French version – Dutch version – English version

The government’s decision to phase out nuclear energy – the first source of low-carbon energy in Belgium – and to finance new fossil gas power plants through the Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM) is therefore paradoxical and counterproductive. This decision would only reinforce the predominance of fossil fuels in the Belgian energy landscape.

A recent report by the Federal Planning Bureau (FPB) highlighted that Belgium’s planned nuclear phaseout by 2025 is expected to increase the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and energy imports,

The report said nuclear power is expected to supply 35% of Belgium’s electricity in 2023, but warned that the share would plunge to zero at the start of 2026, resulting in increased gas generation and a ‘systematic increase’ in emissions.

Read our story Belgian Nuclear Phaseout Will Increase Country’s GHG Emissions