The tug-of-war between the Belgian state and French energy giant Engie has just escalated. With talks on the takeover of Belgium’s nuclear fleet bogged down, Bart De Wever’s government is now considering a radical option: the forced nationalisation of the Doel and Tihange power plants.
A bill already in the drawer
According to information reported on Tuesday by the Belgian press, the administration has already drafted a bill allowing the state to take over the facilities. In this fallback scenario, the government itself would set the amount of compensation paid to Engie, based on its own estimate of a fair price. It is a legally explosive route that would expose the country to a long court battle.
For many observers, it is above all a lever to unblock negotiations that have stalled.
4 November in the crosshairs
Talks began with a letter of intent signed on 29 April. The aim: to set out the main principles (the “Heads of Terms”) of a state takeover of the nuclear activities of Engie and its subsidiary Electrabel in Belgium. The target date, initially set for 1 October, has already been pushed back by mutual agreement to 4 November because of the complexity of the file.
The financial stakes are considerable. This is not only about ownership of the reactors, but also about who bears decommissioning costs running into billions of euros.
Seven reactors, two still running
The fleet has seven reactors. Five have already been shut down: Doel 3 since October 2022, Tihange 2 since January 2023, followed by Doel 1, Tihange 1 and Doel 2 in 2025. Only Doel 4 and Tihange 3 are still operating, extended until 2035 under the agreement reached by the De Croo government, in which the state is already a partner.
The Arizona majority wants to go further: keep these two units running until 2045, study restarting some of the shut-down reactors and prepare new capacity. Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet (MR) has called in experts such as Framatome and Westinghouse to assess the condition of the five idle reactors, and is in favour of a further extension of Tihange 1.
The opposition demands a debate
The prospect of expropriation is drawing reactions. The Anders party is calling for an urgent meeting of the Chamber this week, with the Prime Minister present. Because beyond negotiating tactics, the question is a weighty one: is the state ready to become the operator, and the payer, of all of Belgium’s nuclear power? The answer may come on 4 November.
Sources : Business AM, 21News, RTBF, L-Post, NewMobility
Photo: Alf van Beem / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
