Energy policy in Belgium – Privatising the energy supply to French state-owned companies, closing nuclear power plants, paying compensation, and ultimately reversing everything at a cost of billions

Belgium is once again in the process of making a new 180-degree turn.

From dependence on France’s Engie / Electrabel, to a nuclear phase-out, and then to the possible reacquisition of nuclear control by the Belgian state.

The fact that the current government under Prime Minister Bart De Wever wants to bring control back into Belgian hands is commendable. However, previous governments have saddled our country with billions in unnecessary costs and ended our energy independence.

On April 30, the Belgian state and Engie announced that they are officially starting negotiations with a view to the Belgian state taking over all nuclear activities of Engie and its subsidiary Electrabel. All dismantling work at the nuclear power plants is being suspended. Less than a year after the law paving the way for the return of nuclear energy in our country came into effect, this new policy is taking concrete shape through this agreement to regain control over nuclear assets and capabilities.

Nuclear Power plant

This step fits within a coherent political vision under the De Wever government, which has been in power in the Wetstraat for just over a year:

To ensure affordable, controllable and clean energy, while at the same time strengthening Belgium’s strategic autonomy and sovereignty.

What preceded this? Electrabel was always the dominant Belgian producer of electricity. Through Tractebel/Société Générale de Belgique, the company gradually came under the control of Suez. In 2005, Suez increased its stake to near-total ownership, and in 2007 Electrabel disappeared from the stock exchange. After the merger of Suez with Gaz de France, the company’s name became GDF Suez and later Engie. The French state is the largest shareholder in Engie, with almost a quarter of the shares.

Nuclear phase-out and the subsequent closures of nuclear power plants Following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Fukushima, Japan, which resulted in the nuclear disaster, Belgium has legally committed itself to a nuclear phase-out since 2003.

As a result, 5 of Belgium’s 7 nuclear reactors have already been shut down, leaving only Doel 4 near Antwerp and Tihange 3 near Liège still open, after they were granted an extension due to a change in government policy following the huge rise in energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis caused by the sanctions Europe imposed on major energy producer Russia.

Engie/Electrabel says that once production stops, the dismantling of the nuclear power plants will begin.

Ending the nuclear phase-out following the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: two nuclear reactors remain open longer After the start of the war in Ukraine, the Belgian federal government and Engie reached an agreement in 2023 to extend the lifespan of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 by ten years.

That agreement was finalised last March, in 2025, after approval by the European Commission. The agreement also included arrangements on the storage and processing of nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel.At that point, the Belgian state became 50% owner of the two extended power plants through the newly established joint company BE-NUC. Engie retained the remaining 50%.

April 30, 2026: Belgium wants to buy back nuclear activities and signs a letter of intent with Engie and Electrabel

On April 30, 2026, Belgium signed a letter of intent with Engie and Electrabel for exclusive negotiations on a potential takeover by Belgium of all nuclear activities of Engie and Electrabel in Belgium.

According to the official press release, this agreement covers all nuclear reactors on Belgian territory, the staff, the nuclear subsidiaries, assets and liabilities - the latter including obligations relating to the shutdown and dismantling of the nuclear reactors.

The aim is to reach “Heads of Terms” around October 1 of this year: the main conditions of a possible transaction.So this is not yet a definitive purchase by the Belgian state of the nuclear sites, but it is a formal step toward a possible nationalisation of the nuclear activities.

Why is the government doing this? Previous governments allowed control over the energy supply to largely shift to a foreign private group through privatisation. However, this was effectively privatisation to a foreign government, namely the French state, which became a major shareholder.

Subsequently, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the government decided, like the German government, to pursue a full nuclear phase-out.

As a result, Belgium’s energy supply ended up in foreign hands, and Belgium’s strategic independence was put at risk.

Because of pointless environmental and climate targets, nuclear power plants emit neither nitrogen nor CO₂, only water vapor, which only Europe is pursuing globally, and because of major geopolitical uncertainty due to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the U.S. takeover of Venezuela’s oil production, the government now wants to regain greater control over nuclear capacity.

The official press release explicitly states that, by acquiring ownership of the reactors, the government wants to operate the existing reactors for longer and develop new nuclear capacity.

Conclusion In short, Belgium is trying to reverse the consequences of earlier privatisation and the nuclear phase-out driven by climate policy. Not by buying back Electrabel as a whole, but by negotiating the takeover of Engie / Electrabel’s nuclear activities in Belgium.

All in all, this has cost the Belgian taxpayer billions, with the result that we are back where we once started: nuclear power plants in the hands of the Belgian state. The only difference is that the government is billions poorer, and citizens and businesses are currently paying around 20% more for electricity than before the energy crisis.

Energy and climate policy have been a very expensive lesson for our country and for Europe.

Image credits: Nicolas Hippert via Unplash