Doel Nuclear Power Station

Doel Nuclear Power Station
Location of Doel Nuclear Power Station
Country	Belgium
Location	Doel
Coordinates	51°19′29″N 04°15′31″E / 51.32472°N 4.25861°E / 51.32472; 4.25861Coordinates: 51°19′29″N 04°15′31″E / 51.32472°N 4.25861°E / 51.32472; 4.25861
Construction began	1969
Commission date	15 February 1975
Owner(s)	Indivision Doel (EBES, INTERCOM, UNERG)
Operator(s)	Electrabel M.V. Nucleaire Produktie
Reactor information
Reactors operational	1 x 392 MW 1 x 433 MW 1 x 1006 MW 1 x 1008 MW
Reactor type(s)	pressurized water reactors
Reactor supplier(s)	Framatome
Power generation information
Installed capacity	2,911 MW
Annual generation	21,670 GW·h
Net generation	515,257 GW·h
As of July 25, 2007

The Doel Nuclear Power Station is one of the two nuclear power plants in Belgium. The plant lies on the bank of the Scheldt, near the village of Doel in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The Belgian energy corporation Electrabel is the plant's largest stakeholder. The plant employs 800 workers and covers an area of 80 hectares (200 acres).

The station is located in the most densely populated area of all nuclear power stations in Europe, with 9 million inhabitants within a radius of 75 kilometres (47 mi).^[1]

Reactors

The plant consists of four second-generation pressurized water reactors with a total capacity of 2,911 MW_e, making it the second largest nuclear power plant in Belgium, after Nuclear Plant Tihange. Its four units are rated as follows:

• Doel 1 : 433 MW_e
• Doel 2 : 433 MW_e
• Doel 3 : 1006 MW_e
• Doel 4 : 1039 MW_e

Doel 1 and 2 came online in 1975, while Doel 3 and 4 came online in 1982 and 1985, respectively.

Cooling towers

The station as seen from the opposite bank of the Scheldt.

With a height of 176 meters, the two cooling towers are the most visible structure in the Port of Antwerp. Due to its proximity to the Dutch-Belgian border, the towers and the accompanying vapor can be seen in large parts of Dutch provinces of Zeeland and western North Brabant. Since 1995, one of the cooling towers has hosted a nest of peregrine falcons.

Incidents

In 1992, 2006 and 2011 there were INES 2-incidents at Doel. Nobody was injured.^[2]

See also

• List of nuclear power stations
• Nuclear Plant Tihange

References

1. ^ Kerncentrale Doel in dichtstbevolkte gebied, deredactie.be
2. ^ Doel | Nulcear power in Europe

External links

• Electrabel webpage about the plant