Nuclear plant operator Electrabel has reacted with dismay to a government announcement that two of Belgium's seven nuclear units will not get a previously promised ten-year licence extension. Belgium's Council of Ministers has announced that Doel 1 and 2 - 433 MWe pressurized water reactors (PWRs) - are to close in 2015 after 40 years of operation. Tihange 1, a 962 MWe PWR is to be permitted to operate to 2025 as this will "avoid the risk that the 500,000 to 1 million inhabitants are plunged into darkness at times during the winter," according to a statement from the council.
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