At its meeting of Wednesday 11 September 2024, the Government Council (Luxembourg's cabinet) adopted an opinion on the extension of the life of 1300 MW power plants in France.
In this opinion, formulated by the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Directorate, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Luxembourg has adopted a critical position with regard to the extension of the lifetime of certain 1300 MW reactors, in particular that of the Cattenom nuclear power plant.
This opinion is formulated within the framework of the generic phase of the process of extending the lifetime of French 1300 MW nuclear power plants. The Luxembourg government noted that it has analysed the proposals submitted by the operator EDF, as formulated in the relevant document. The government said it considers that certain points deserve additional attention in order to guarantee nuclear safety at the highest level. These points concern in particular the performance of filters in the venting-filtration system, the impact of climate change on the safety of 1300 MW power plants, resistance to external impacts, bringing the safety level closer to that of the most modern nuclear power plants, the role of advanced technologies and emergency management.
The government also reiterated its position that complete transparency and immediate communication in the event of any incident must be improved and that nuclear power plants at risk, notably the Cattenom, Tihange and Doel sites, must be closed.
