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Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Belgium officials reached an agreement Thursday to close all seven of the country's nuclear reactors by 2025, but they will be open to new, smaller nuclear plants under the compromise. Belgium's relevant ministers reached the compromise after a night of negotiations following weeks of debate about the effect of the closures on energy shortages and prices, The Brussel Times and De Standaard reported.
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As part of the agreement, Belgium will invest 100 million euros in research into new, smaller modular nuclear power plants. France and the Netherlands have invested in similar research.
The country's nuclear plants managed by French energy company Engie account for nearly half of its power production, and the issue had geopolitical implications since Russia is Europe's primary supplier of fossil fuel.
Russia has been accused of exacerbating high prices of natural gas by limiting supplies to Europe in recent months and natural gas prices have doubled this year.
The ministers had debated between two different exit plans, Plan A to close all plants, and Plan B to keep the two newest reactors open in case of supply shortages.
They decided to go with Plan A, and will close all seven plants by 2025, which is the target date the current government committed to when it took office five years ago, Euronews reported.
The nuclear power phaseout has been codified in Belgian law since 2003.
