Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has prepared draft laws that would allow the government to force the nationalisation of the country’s nuclear power stations if talks with French operator Engie fail.
According to De Tijd and L’Echo, the move is being considered as negotiations with Engie have worsened.
Under the previous Federal Government, Belgium had agreed with Engie to phase out most nuclear capacity while extending the operation of nuclear reactors Doel 4 and Tihange 3 until 2035 through a joint venture known as Be-Nuc.
The De Wever government's new plan would see the Belgian State take over those two active reactors, as well as the shut-down units, their staff, and nuclear infrastructure.
The two sides have set 4 November as the deadline to reach an agreement. If the talks end without a deal, De Wever has prepared an alternative scenario involving a compulsory takeover, De Tijd reported.
Under that plan, the Belgian state would unilaterally decide how to calculate compensation for Engie, based on what it considers fair.
Engie could then challenge the decision in court. In the meantime, however, the government could press ahead with its planned extension of nuclear power generation.
The financial stakes are high. Alongside the takeover of the nuclear fleet, the parties must also resolve the multi-billion-euro cost of the reactors' future decommissioning.
