Belgium regrets clinging to atomic energy

Two Belgian nuclear power plants may have to be closed down due to safety problems even though the move could cause energy shortages. All of a sudden Belgium is waking up from the days when no one gave a thought to the problems posed by nuclear power, the left-liberal daily De Morgen writes cynically: "Suddenly everyone's waking up from their nuclear intoxication. But now it's not the horror scenarios of a nuclear disaster that have got us in a sweat, it's the very real prospect of an energy shortage this winter. Well what do you make of that, perhaps it wasn't such a clever idea to make our energy supply so dependent on a single and what's more outdated energy source. After the Belgian government went back on the plan first announced at the end of the last century to phase out nuclear energy more than ten years were lost. Because it's far simpler to do nothing and let power flow from nuclear plants like water from the tap."

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