The Federal Government will seek to invest the €23 billion it receives from Engie for extending its Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors, with the aim of eventually generating €60 billion.
"There is no fund of this size in Belgium," Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten told parliament, assuring MPs that the recent agreement signed between the government and the energy company will be a good deal for Belgium.
As part of the 10-year extension of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear power plants, Engie (the company that operates the reactors) agreed to pay a total of €23 billion for so-called nuclear liabilities. This includes a 43% premium to cover potential risks.
Addressing parliamentarians alongside Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Tuesday, Van der Straeten said that the €23 billion is only the minimum amount the energy provider will pay. She stressed the returns that the government expects from its investment.
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The Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors were due to be switched off in 2025 – a decision the Federal Government later went back on in light of the energy pressures that came as a result of spiralling gas costs.
Prolonged negotiations between the government and Engie over the extension finally reached an agreement in late June. Yet even among the parties in government there are calls to take further steps to assure Belgium's energy sovereignty by investing in its other reactors.
The federal MP Marie-Christine Marghem (MR), who is known for her pro-nuclear stance, on Tuesday reiterated her party's wish to restart more of Belgium's reactors, saying that this is part of the party's approach to future government negotiations.
