The Belgian government has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Electrabel’s (ENGIE) entire nuclear operations in the country, a move that would reverse the phase-out policy adopted in the early 2000s. Prime Minister Bart De Wever framed the proposal as a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to give Belgium greater control over its energy supply.
Negotiations will cover all seven reactors currently managed by ENGIE, including personnel, physical assets and liabilities such as waste management responsibilities. “This government chooses safe, affordable, and sustainable energy,” De Wever said. “With less dependence on fossil imports and more control over our own supply.”
Only two of the seven reactors are currently producing electricity. Under the nationalization plan, the planned dismantling of the other facilities would be suspended while the state assumes ownership and oversight.
The proposal follows a decision last year to abandon the two-decade-old nuclear phase-out and recent moves to extend the operational lives of Belgium’s oldest reactors. Those shifts were prompted in part by sharp energy price increases after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which exposed the risks of heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Belgium’s original 2003 law — approved by the Senate amid safety concerns — banned construction of new nuclear plants and limited existing reactors to a 40-year operating life. According to the International Energy Agency, the share of Belgian electricity supplied by nuclear reactors has fallen from around 60% in the early 2000s to roughly 40% today.
The plan in Brussels is part of a broader European reconsideration of nuclear power. A recent escalation in tensions involving Iran has pushed energy prices higher worldwide, representing a second major shock to European markets after the continent moved away from Russian fossil fuels. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has tightened global supplies, and Belgian energy inflation rose 10.6% in April, the Belga news agency reported.
European governments are increasingly looking to domestic nuclear capacity to stabilize energy markets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called Europe’s earlier turn away from nuclear power a “strategic mistake.” A 2024 EU survey found that about 56% of citizens expect nuclear energy to have a positive impact on their lives over the next 20 years, while 35% view it negatively.
If the deal proceeds, state ownership of Electrabel’s nuclear fleet would mark a major shift in Belgium’s energy policy, raising questions about long-term costs, decommissioning and waste management, and the role of nuclear power in meeting climate and security objectives.
Edited by: Alex Berry