Engie says Belgian nuclear output will rise in rest of year after first-quarter drop

摘要

Engie expects its Belgian nuclear power generation to be 11 TWh above 2018 levels for the final three quarters of the year after a 1.5-TWh drop in the first quarter, the utility said May 14. “Nuclear is expected to deliver significantly better results, based upon a continuing operational ramp-up and higher hedged prices,” it said in its first-quarter earnings statement. Belgian nuclear availability fell to 52% in 2018 as maintenance outages were extended significantly, especially in the second half of last year. Engie said in February it expects 2019 nuclear unit availability of 77%. Engie said May 14 it now expects availability, a measure of the proportion of time reactors are available to generate at full power, for the second through the fourth quarter at around 80% compared with 34% for the same period in 2018. Belgian nuclear output is not expected to reach its full 40 TWh potential until 2021, it has said. Belgian nuclear output has been curbed by a series of maintenance outages related to concrete degradation in the ceilings of bunkered buildings containing backup safety systems, among other issues. Extended outages are scheduled for the second half on 2019 at Tihange-1 and Doel-1 and 2, Engie said.