Belgium dependent on Russian uranium
Although much has been said about dependence on Russian gas and oil, Belgium is also linked to the country of Vladimir Putin via its uranium purchases. This concerns 40% of the uranium used in Belgian power plants, writes Le Soir.
According to Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen), who is making the data official for the first time, 20% of the uranium imported into Belgium for our power plants comes from Russia, and 19.7% from Kazakhstan.
This month, the Belgian company Synatom – responsible for supplying fuel to the nuclear power stations of Doel and Tihange – will receive a new stock of uranium. ” This will be the last delivery. Synatom no longer has any contract binding it with Rosatom (the Russian atomic agency, editor’s note) and its subsidiaries,” adds the minister. But it is the origin of this fuel that challenges. This uranium comes from Kazakhstan and was therefore purchased from Uranium One, a subsidiary of the Russian atomic agency Rosatoma confirmed Tinne Van der Straeten.
The two Belgian power plants consumes about 1,000 tons of uranium annually, according to Synatom. And if there is no longer any need for a new order in the event of closure by 2025, the question of the uranium supplier will obviously arise if the Belgian State and Engie agree to extend the life of two reactors. .