Government keeps expropriation of nuclear plants in reserve as Engie talks stall
Talks with Engie on a takeover of Doel and Tihange are stuck. The government is keeping an expropriation scenario in reserve.
The federal government is making hardly any progress in its negotiations with Engie over taking over Belgium's nuclear power stations, De Tijd and L'Echo report this morning. As a fallback, the De Wever government has a plan B ready that relies on expropriation.
The talks date back to late April, when the Belgian State and the Engie group signed a letter of intent for exclusive negotiations. That framework covers all seven reactors, the staff involved, the nuclear subsidiaries and the related assets and liabilities, including the decommissioning obligations Engie has already taken on. Both sides agreed that the deal must leave Engie's finances neither better nor worse off.
The pressure has a financial background. Business AM reported earlier this year that the state is losing money on Doel 4 and Tihange 3 under the 2023 Phoenix deal: electricity sales brought in around 31 million euros, but the state had to pay 58 million to Engie and Luminus to deliver their guaranteed return.
Het Nieuwsblad's politics liveblog leads with the threat this morning. Within the government, Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet (MR) is responsible for the file.