Electrabel, the Belgian subsidiary of French energy group ENGIE (Ex GDF SUEZ), has reached an agreement with the Belgian government on the conditions for a 10-year extension of the operation of the Doel-1 and 2 nuclear power plants in Belgium; the Belgian government had approved a new regulatory framework to enable this lifetime extension in December 2014. The agreement also includes the amount of the new nuclear contribution system announced by the Minister of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development, which will affect the Doel 3, Doel 4, Tihange 2 and Tihange 3 reactors: Electrabel will have to pay a fixed amount of €200m in 2015 and a fixed amount of €130m in 2016 (the €20m due for the Doel 1-and Doel 2 extension will be added and will be payable from 2016 to 2025). The initial amount for the tax had been set at €250m/year, raised to €550m/year in 2012. From 2017, the Belgian state will revise the contribution according to an objective formula taking account of changing costs, production volumes and electricity prices. The margin applied will be 40%.
ENGIE will then invest €700m in Doel, subject to the agreement of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control concerning the extension of both units, in addition to the €600m investment plan in Tihange-1.
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