Belgium Nuclear Firms Freeze Investment: 6 in 10 Stall
(MENAFN) Six in 10 companies in Belgium’s nuclear sector are holding back investments as uncertainty over national energy policy deepens, according to a survey by a technology industry federation, Agoria, cited Wednesday by a public broadcaster.
The firms are demanding a clear, predictable energy strategy from the government, complete with concrete decisions and timelines for future nuclear projects.
Belgium has been steering toward a nuclear phase-out for the past two decades. Even so, the sector still supports more than 8,000 full-time jobs and generates over €9 billion ($9.9 billion) in annual turnover.
Agoria said the industry holds significant growth potential but needs the government to spell out its nuclear ambitions.
“We need clear decisions and a concrete schedule for nuclear projects so that companies can prepare for the future,” Agoria CEO Bart Steukers said.
Steukers stressed that businesses remain in the dark about which types of nuclear facilities the government intends to develop, where they would be built and when construction could begin.
“It is currently completely unclear what is going to happen and when,” he said.
He urged the government to clarify whether it plans to build large-scale nuclear power plants or small modular reactors (SMRs), and to specify locations, timelines and regulatory conditions.
A clear and predictable policy, Agoria estimates, could unlock an additional €3 billion ($3.3 billion) in turnover and create 500 new jobs in the sector within two years.
The firms are demanding a clear, predictable energy strategy from the government, complete with concrete decisions and timelines for future nuclear projects.
Belgium has been steering toward a nuclear phase-out for the past two decades. Even so, the sector still supports more than 8,000 full-time jobs and generates over €9 billion ($9.9 billion) in annual turnover.
Agoria said the industry holds significant growth potential but needs the government to spell out its nuclear ambitions.
“We need clear decisions and a concrete schedule for nuclear projects so that companies can prepare for the future,” Agoria CEO Bart Steukers said.
Steukers stressed that businesses remain in the dark about which types of nuclear facilities the government intends to develop, where they would be built and when construction could begin.
“It is currently completely unclear what is going to happen and when,” he said.
He urged the government to clarify whether it plans to build large-scale nuclear power plants or small modular reactors (SMRs), and to specify locations, timelines and regulatory conditions.
A clear and predictable policy, Agoria estimates, could unlock an additional €3 billion ($3.3 billion) in turnover and create 500 new jobs in the sector within two years.
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