BREAKING NEWS: Belgium takes control – negotiations to buy all nuclear power plants from Engie.

The Belgian government and energy giant Engie signed a letter of intent that opens the door for a full state takeover of the Belgian nuclear fleet, which is now fully controlled by Engie. Until a final agreement is reached, all work on decommissioning the shut-down reactors has been halted so that the state retains the option of restarting them.

The announcement by Prime Minister Bart De Wever surprised the European energy public.

Freeze on decommissioning and the return of the decommissioned units

Belgium owns seven nuclear reactors (Doel and Tianž (Tihange)). Currently only two are active (Doel 4 and Tianž 3) whose operation has been extended to 2035, but the government now aims for a further extension, perhaps even the reactivation of blocks that were shut down between 2022 and 2025.

Although Engie had previously warned that restarting is technically and financially extremely demanding, halting the decommissioning work clearly indicates that Belgium no longer wants to depend on imports of fossil fuels and the market upheavals caused by the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

What exactly is the state buying?

According to media reports, the plan is to finalize the deal by October 1, 2026, covering: all nuclear reactors and associated infrastructure; the full professional staff (the key “human infrastructure”); all property obligations, but also responsibilities for future disposal of nuclear waste. In short, almost “everything.”

“This government chooses secure, affordable and sustainable energy. Less dependence on imports, and more control over its own supply,” said Prime Minister De Wever.

We admit, this news surprised us, and we saw it just a few minutes ago. And we admit, it surprised us not only because of the completely unexpected turn but also because it reflects perhaps an entirely unexpected trend: while in a large part of the world deregulation of private capital access is identified as the best option for reviving the nuclear industry, Belgium is doing something quite the opposite: the state is trying to take full control over a resource that is increasingly considered strategic. Belgium also directly ties nuclear energy to socio-economic prosperity and industrial resilience – and we also see that the Belgian prime minister uses the language of sovereignty, which we also find interesting.

We certainly agree on one thing: energy should not be left entirely to market turmoil and decisions of private companies. And in the end we add that if one Western European country halts an already started decommissioning of a reactor, that is a clear signal that nuclear energy is the only guarantee of sovereignty in times of crisis.