Brussels residents looking for a new contract to supply electricity or natural gas can now only turn to two suppliers – Engie Electrabel and TotalEnergies – with all others having stopped their Brussels offers.
On Wednesday, Bolt reported that it is temporarily no longer taking on new customers in Brussels. The customer freeze also applies to Wallonia. Existing customers will still be supplied.
According to regulator Brugel's website, only Engie Electrabel, TotalEnergies and Luminus remain. Luminus had operated in Brussels through MediaMarkt but that is no longer the case and no new customers are being accepted in the region.
Brusol EnergyVision is active in the Capital Region but only supplies electricity to those who have solar panels.
Brussels a difficult market for energy suppliers
Brugel, the Brussels energy market regulator, speaks of a tricky situation in the capital: "Fewer suppliers means less competition in Brussels," said spokesperson Adeline Moerenhout. "We have already advised making the market more attractive."
According to FEBEG (the federation of Belgian Electricity and Gas Companies), Brussels is a difficult market for energy suppliers. Companies in the region have to offer three-year contracts and customer protection regulations can mean that suppliers are left with the bill for those who don't (or can't) pay.
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A spokesperson for Engie said that the energy provider plans to stay in Brussels although it "is indeed a challenging market." TotalEnergies echoed this saying that, as the provider is active in all three regions, it does not plan to leave Brussels.
"But that does not alter the fact that we also experience the same problems, especially with regard to defaulters," spokesperson Tom Claerbout stated. "However, we have no intention of introducing a customer freeze."
