Doel Nuclear Power Station

The Doel nuclear power plant is located in the port of Antwerp, on the left bank of the river Scheldt. The site houses 4 reactors of the PWR type. These reactors with pressurized water are among the safest in the world.

The two reactors in production have a total capacity of 1471 MW. Doel 3, with a capacity of 1006 MW, was taken out of service on September 23, 2022; Doel 1, with a capacity of 445 MW on February 14, 2025. 

The power station of Doel: historical

In the late 1960s Belgium chose nuclear power to produce part of its electricity. The ever-increasing demand for energy could no longer be met by fossil fuels alone. Therefore the government decided to build 4 nuclear reactors in Doel and 3 in Tihange.

In 1968, Doel 1 and 2 were ordered. The surroundings of Doel were ideal because of the cooling water which could be extracted from the nearby Scheldt. The works started by creating 80 hectares of reclaimed polder area. The dykes were increased in height to 11 meters above sea level. Construction started in 1969 and in 1970 the first staff were recruited. The Doel 1 reactor was commissioned in early 1975 and later that year Doel 2 also followed. Doel 3 went online in 1982 and in mid 1985 Doel 4 was fully operational.

On 23 September 2022, Doel 3 , as the first nuclear power plant in Belgium, was permanently shut down after 40 years of operation, as stipulated by the nuclear exit law of 31 January 2003.

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On 13 December 2023, ENGIE and the Belgian government signed an agreement on the 10-year extension of the operation of the Tihange 3 and Doel 4 nuclear power plants and the transfer of all nuclear waste obligations. Under this agreement, Doel 4 and Tihange 3 have been owned by BE-NUC, a 50/50 joint venture between the Belgian state and ENGIE, since 14 March 2025.

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On 14 February 2025, Doel 1 was permanently shut down after 50 years of operation, as stipulated by the nuclear exit law of 31 January 2003.

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On 15 May 2025, the House of Representatives gave its approval for the amendment of the Nuclear Exit Act of 31 January 2003. From now on, it will be called the 'Act on Nuclear Energy for Industrial Electricity Production'. The provision that no new nuclear power plants can be built has been removed. The closure dates of nuclear power plants have also been removed from the Act. This change in the law had no concrete impact on the planned shutdown of Tihange 1 and Doel 2 later that year.

 

Key figures

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Fact
4
PWR (pressurized water reactor) type nuclear reactors, 2 of which are in operation and 2 are being decommissioned
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Fact
1471MW
total capacity
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Fact
1000
Electrabel employees and thousands of external employees per year
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Fact
80
hectares of land
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Fact
14 000
regulated controls and 50 audits per year

Features

 Doel 1Doel 2Doel 3Doel 4
Capacity (MW)44544510061026
In service since15/02/197501/12/197501/10/198201/07/1985
Planned closure date14/02/202530/11/202523/09/202231/10/2035
EmploymentMore then 1000 Electrabel employees and up to thousands of external employees each year

News about Doel

The nuclear power plants of Doel and Tihange attach great importance to the relationship with their surroundings. They have established consultation bodies to communicate with local representatives. Everyone who lives near the nuclear power plant of Doel, receives the community magazine Doelbewust.

View the news reports about Doel

Read Doelbewust

Our nuclear professionalism explained

What is nuclear power? How is electricity produced in a nuclear power plant? How do the Belgian plants of Doel and Tihange work and what does their future look like? You can read all this in our brochure 'Nuclear professionalism, from start to finish'.

 

Condition of the 4 units

Doel 1
In decommissioning
Doel 2
Operational
Doel 3
In decommissioning
Doel 4
Overhaul