The Belgian government signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Electrabel’s (ENGIE) entire nuclear operations in the country.
The move would reverse the nuclear phase-out legislation adopted in the early 2000s amid safety concerns.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the aim is to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and gain greater autonomy in managing the nation’s energy supplies.
A reversal of nuclear phase-out in Belgium
Negotiations will cover all seven reactors ENGIE manages, including staff, assets and liabilities such as waste management.
“This government chooses safe, affordable, and sustainable energy,” De Wever said. “With less dependence on fossil imports and more control over our own supply.”
Of the seven reactors, only two are currently operational and generating electricity. The agreement would suspend planned dismantling of the remaining facilities.
The nationalization plan follows Belgium’s decision last year to scrap a two-decade-old nuclear phase-out. In recent years authorities also moved to extend the lives of the country’s oldest reactors. Both shifts were driven by the surge in energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In 2003, the Belgian Senate approved a law that, amid safety concerns, banned construction of new nuclear plants and limited operating lifetimes of existing reactors to 40 years.
According to the International Energy Agency, the share of electricity from Belgium’s reactors has fallen from about 60% in the early 2000s to roughly 40% today.
Is Europe going back to nuclear?
In recent months, the war in Iran has pushed energy prices higher worldwide, marking a second shock to European energy markets after the continent largely shifted away from Russian fossil fuels following the Ukraine war.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has tightened supplies, and Belgium’s energy inflation rose 10.6% in April, the Belga news agency reported.
Europe, which imports a large share of its energy, is seeking to revive domestic nuclear power to stabilize markets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month that Europe’s turn away from nuclear power had been a “strategic mistake.”
A 2024 EU survey found about 56% of EU citizens believe nuclear energy will positively affect their lives over the next 20 years, while 35% view it negatively.
Edited by: Alex Berry