Brussels, Rabi'I 17, 1437, December 28, 2015, SPA -- A defect-afflicted Belgian nuclear reactor that has been taken offline due to a water leak will likely not be restarted until next week, its operator announced, according to dpa. Technical problems with Belgium's ageing nuclear plants have created tensions with neighbouring Germany, which is moving toward clean and sustainable energy sources and has passed legislation that requires the closure of all its commercial nuclear reactors by 2022. The Doel 3 nuclear reactor, which is located near the border with the Netherlands and dates back to 1982, had been taken offline for nearly two years because of safety concerns. It was fired back up on December 21, but was then taken offline again on Friday because of a leak from a hot-water pipe in a non-nuclear part of the facility. The safety of the facility and environment was in no danger from the fault, a spokeswoman said at the time. The reactor had first been expected to go back online on Monday, but the French energy company Engie - whose subsidiary Electrabel runs the Doel nuclear plant - said late Sunday that it now expects its unavailability to last at least until January 6. A new problem with an electric switch is the cause of the delay, the Belga news agency reported. The problem is not significant, but requires the intervention of a specialized company, it wrote. Another reactor at the plant, Doel 1, is also currently offline. In operation since 1975, it is among the oldest reactors in Belgium. But its decommissioning has been postponed until 2025 and it is expected to come back online on December 31. --SPA 14:11 LOCAL TIME 11:11 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w