Second reactor posponed

Delta has announced that it has postponed making a decision on whether to build a second reactor at the existing Borssele site by two to three years. Meanwhile the government has approved the construction of a replacement for the Petten research reactor. Delta said that it has informed its shareholders that plans for a new reactor had been put on hold due to "a combination of the financial crisis, the high investment required for a nuclear power plant, the current investment climate and overcapaity in the electricity market combined with low energy prices."
It added that its decision was also influenced by uncertainty about Europe's emissions trading system and the allocation of carbon dioxide emission rights. "These uncertainties are currently too great for a project of this magnitude," Delta concluded. However, the company said that the project will resume once the situation improves.