Through a Covid-19 action plan and continuous monitoring, we ensure that sufficient qualified personnel are available in all circumstances to assure critical activities in the nuclear power plants.

We are also taking the measures necessary to protect the health of our staff, and to prevent and limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus among personnel at nuclear power plants in Belgium. Our measures are based on the guidelines issued by the Belgian government and the ENGIE Group, and the expert opinions of our internal occupational health department.

Some examples of our measures:

• Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, we have been focussing on reducing staffing levels at the nuclear sites.. this of course guaranteeing nuclear safety and electricity production.
• Teleworking has become the norm for staff whose work allows it;
• Everything must be done with respect for social distancing guidelines.
• Wearing a mask is mandatory on our nuclear sites.
• Frequently used places are cleaned more often;
• We provide disinfectant hand gel and other hygiene measures;
• The internal medical department is manned at all times, and a nurse and doctor are on duty 24 hours a day.
• And so on ...

The applicable prevention measures are constantly evaluated and updated.

So far, we have managed to keep the number of contamination in our nuclear power plants under control. Recently, some media reported that 12 people were infected with the corona virus among the Electrabel staff at the Doel nuclear power plant and 14 people among the employees of external contracting firms. In a population of an average of 1000 internal and 1000 external employees, we follow the Belgian evolution.

A large number of the people who tested positive emerge from internal contact research and, in specific cases, the opportunity we give the employees of the nuclear power plants to get a test on site. The fact that we can detect these people very quickly and place them in quarantine helps to prevent further spread on the site.

Our absolute priority remains guaranteeing the health of our employees, nuclear safety and security of supply. We continue to monitor the situation from day to day, so that we can adjust the measures if necessary.