Belgium set to ditch nuclear energy

The bill orders the shutting of the country's seven reactors after 40 years of use and bans the construction of new ones.

The measure - part of the election manifesto of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's centre-left coalition government - is expected to be approved by the Senate within weeks.

The legislation makes Belgium one of five European Union nations committed in principle to abandoning nuclear energy, along with Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

Nuclear energy currently supplies 60% of Belgian electricity needs, making it the country most dependent on nuclear power after France.

The government will invest in solar, wind and other renewable energy resources as well as build more gas plants to compensate for the loss of nuclear power.

The bill's backers say it will eliminate the risk of a disastrous accident at one of the reactors and reduce the problem of dealing with radioactive waste.

On average in Europe, nuclear energy meets about one third of consumers' needs.

'No reason'

The Belgian Environment Minister, Olivier Deleuze, said he did not expect electricity prices to rise, thanks to the forthcoming liberalisation of domestic markets across the EU.

"The first reactors will be dismantled by February 2015; the last in 2025," said Mr Deleuze, a member of the Green Party, who championed the bill.

But Electrabel, the power company which owns the reactors, has urged the government to reconsider, arguing that the phase-out is not economically feasible.

"We deplore this decision because there is today not any single reason, be it technical, economic or ecological, to close the plants ahead of time," a spokeswoman told Belgian radio.

Electrabel says the government should have conducted a study on viable alternatives to nuclear power before introducing such a bill.

It also argues that the closure will hinder Belgium's commitments to reduce its greenhouse gas output under the Kyoto Protocol.

Belgium has seven nuclear reactors, four at the Doel power plant near Antwerp and three in the eastern town of Tihange.