Nuclear Plant Tihange
Encyclopedia
The Tihange Nuclear Power Station, along with Doel Nuclear Power Station, is one of the two large-scale nuclear power plant
s in Belgium
. It is located on the right bank of the Meuse River
in the Belgian district of Tihange, part of Huy municipality
in the Walloon province of Liège
. The primary stakeholder in the plant is the Belgian energy company Electrabel
.
s, with a total capacity of 2985 MWe and makes up 52% of the total Belgian nuclear generating capacity. Its units are rated as follows:
. Also, in 2005 and 2002 there were two INES-2 incidents. And in 2001 and 1993 there were fires
on the site of the nuclear power plant. Those were classified as level 0.
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
s in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It is located on the right bank of the Meuse River
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
in the Belgian district of Tihange, part of Huy municipality
Huy
Huy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the sillon industriel, the former industrial backbone of Wallonia, home to about two-thirds of the Walloon population...
in the Walloon province of Liège
Liège (province)
Liège is the easternmost province of Belgium and belongs to the Walloon Region. It is an area of French and German ethnicity. It borders on the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and in Belgium the provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, Walloon Brabant , and those of Flemish Brabant and Limburg . Its...
. The primary stakeholder in the plant is the Belgian energy company Electrabel
Electrabel
Electrabel is a Belgium-based energy corporation. It is a subsidiary of GDF Suez.-History:Electrabel was established in 1905. Its actual name originates from 1990, after the regrouping of the companies Intercom, Ebes and Unerg....
.
Reactors
The plant has three pressurized water reactorPressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s, with a total capacity of 2985 MWe and makes up 52% of the total Belgian nuclear generating capacity. Its units are rated as follows:
- Tihange 1: 962 MWe (1975)
- Tihange 2: 1008 MWe (1983)
- Tihange 3: 1015 MWe (1985)
Incidents
On September 3rd 2008 a malfunctioning fan was found in a reactor. This was classified as INES-1International Nuclear Event Scale
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to enable prompt communication of safety significance information in case of nuclear accidents....
. Also, in 2005 and 2002 there were two INES-2 incidents. And in 2001 and 1993 there were fires
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
on the site of the nuclear power plant. Those were classified as level 0.
External links
- Electrabel site about Nuclear Plant Tihange
- Belgian, Dutch, German alliance against the NPP Tihange stop-tihange.org