Overview

There are significant potential opportunities for U.S. companies in the nuclear energy sector in Belgium, including in the supply of equipment for the refurbishing of Belgium’s nuclear power plants, the possible construction of new nuclear reactors and Small Modular Reactors, and partnerships with Belgium’s nuclear energy research institute.

Belgium currently has four commercial nuclear reactors generating about 40% of its electricity (3463 MWe of installed power). Belgium’s first commercial nuclear power reactor began operating in 1974. The country also operates a research reactor at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN). Nuclear power is an important source of Belgium’s energy even though its relative share in the country’s energy mix is declining in favor of gas and renewables. Nuclear power in Belgium generates 2,000 direct jobs and 2,500 indirect jobs, two million hours of subcontracted work (on average per year), and more than 100 million euros in annual investments.

In 2003, the Belgian government passed a nuclear phase-out law which prohibited the building of new nuclear power plants and limited the operating lifetimes of existing ones to 40 years.  In 2015, parliament passed a new legislation to enable 10-year lifetime extensions for the two oldest reactors to 2025, thus overturning a major provision of the 2003 law. In 2017, three major Belgian business associations – Essenscia, Agoria, and Febeliec – said that shutting all nuclear plants by 2025 was not affordable, and that the plan would boost carbon dioxide emissions and damage Belgian businesses. In 2022 Belgium agreed to prolong the operations of two of its seven plants beyond 2025 (through 2035), and in May 2025, Belgium’s parliament repealed the 2003 phase-out law. The government now intends to extend the operating licenses of two nuclear reactors to 2045 and construct new reactors.

Policy related to the nuclear sector, the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear R&D in both nuclear fusion and fission fall under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Energy.

Key Players in the Belgian Nuclear Energy Sector

• Ministry of Energy or FPS, SMEs, Self-Employed and Energy: the Belgian federal government is responsible for nuclear power plants, energy supplies and offshore wind turbines. The regions of Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia are responsible for wind energy on land, solar energy, distribution of gas and electricity at lower voltage.
• FPS Policy and Support (BOSA): advises and supports public services on public procurement.
• CREG regulates and licenses electricity transmission above 70 kV, approves transmission tariffs and monitors the market.
• ELIA is Belgium’s TSO for electricity.
• FANC/AFCN (Federal Nuclear Regulator): Licensing, control and surveillance are the responsibility of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC/AFCN), which is supervised by the Minister for the Interior. The FANC/AFCN has legal duties in the field of radiation protection, nuclear safety and radiological surveillance, licensing and delicensing.
• ONDRAF/NIRAS is entrusted by law with the safe transportation, treatment, conditioning, storage and disposal of all radioactive waste produced in the country under supervision of the Minister of Energy and the Minister of the Economy. The legislature also assigned certain responsibilities in the field of decommissioning to ONDRAF/NIRAS; it sees to it that the owners/operators create the necessary provisions for the financing of the future dismantling program. ONDRAF/NIRAS must work at cost price and charge those using its services radioactive waste producers no more or less than the amount necessary to ensure the safe management of their waste, in accordance with the polluter pays principle. ONDRAF/NIRAS also has the main responsibility for R&D on radioactive waste management and its disposal.
• Synatom: a wholly owned subsidiary of Engie Electrabel, is responsible for the fuel cycle front end management (i.e., supplying enriched uranium to the seven nuclear power units) as well as the fuel cycle back-end management (i.e., the management of all activities in connection with spent nuclear fuel). Synatom is the exclusive owner (as defined by EURATOM Treaty Article 87) of nuclear fuel from its fabrication to its transfer to the National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Fissile Materials (ONDRAF/NIRAS) when declared as radioactive waste. Hence, it is the most important owner and producer of irradiated fissile materials. In addition, Synatom is entrusted by law with the management of the provisions for dismantling Belgium’s NPPs and for the costs related to their spent fuel.
• Belgoprocess:  Since 1986, ONDRAF/NIRAS has had an industrial subsidiary, Belgoprocess, whose site in Dessel serves as ONDRAF/NIRAS’s central processing and conditioning facility as well as a storage facility for conditioned waste of all categories. Belgoprocess is active in the following three areas 1) Industrial activities in the field of radioactive waste management (processing, conditioning and intermediate storage awaiting the final disposal of radioactive waste), 2) Dismantling of decommissioned nuclear plants, remediation of contaminated buildings and sites, decontamination of materials and structures, 3) Retention and development of new knowledge and know-how, execution of projects and commercial use of the know-how within these areas.
• SCK-CEN (Belgian Nuclear Research Center): As a foundation of public utility, SCK CEN conducts research into the safety of nuclear installations, the management of radioactive waste and human and environmental protection against ionizing radiation, safeguards of strategic materials and the social implications of nuclear energy.
• IRE: The National Institute for Radioelements (IRE) is a public utility foundation whose main activity is the production of radio elements used in nuclear medicine for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Its R&D department contributes to research in the field of radio-element production, environmental protection and radioactive waste management.

Sub-Sector Best Prospect – SMRs

Development of advanced nuclear power technologies, including SMRs

Since 1998, Belgium’s nuclear research center SCK CEN has been developing the MYRRHA (Multipurpose Hybrid Research Reactor for High-Tech Applications) — an accelerator-driven system designed to study transmutation of high-level radioactive waste, reduce its radiotoxicity by a factor of 1 000, and shorten its hazard timeframe from 300 000 to 300 years. MYRRHA also supports fusion material qualification and fundamental nuclear research.

The project is planned in three phases:

• Phase 1 (by 2026): construction of a 100 MeV linear accelerator and experimental stations, funded with €558 million by Belgium’s federal government.
• Phase 2 (by 2033): extension of the accelerator to 600 MeV to drive a subcritical reactor.
• Phase 3 (by 2036): construction and commissioning of the reactor.

An international non-profit organization coordinates global participation, with decisions on Phases 2 and 3 expected in 2026.

MYRRHA, part of the ESFRI roadmap and ESNII initiative under the EU’s SET Plan, will be a subcritical assembly driven by a high-power proton accelerator using spallation reactions to trigger fission. Beyond isotope production, it aims to demonstrate accelerator-driven systems and validate waste transmutation as a way to optimize geological disposal.

In parallel, Belgium has launched a €100 million program (2022-2026) to research fourth-generation SMRs, focusing on liquid-metal or gas-cooled reactors. In 2025, SCK CEN and the national regulator began consultations on a lead-cooled SMR with partners in Italy and Romania — a design benefiting from MYRRHA’s technology base.

Belgium views international cooperation as essential, and U.S. companies and institutions active in SMR development are encouraged to partner with SCK CEN and other key players in Belgium’s nuclear sector.

Opportunities

Over $1 Billion of Investment Expected in Hydrogen, SMRs and Renewables: Belgian authorities confirmed in 2022 plans to keep two Belgium’s nuclear reactors operating for at least ten more years - through 2035 - while announcing a $100 million in new investments in SMR technologies, as well as a $1.16 billion package to develop offshore wind power, hydrogen, and solar energy.

Maintenance: given that the Belgian government has decided to extend the life of two nuclear reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3, there are opportunities in maintenance and upgrade equipment.  

Doing Business in Belgium’s Nuclear Energy and SMR Sector

In terms of procurement opportunities, the FPS Policy and Support (BOSA) advise and supports public services on public procurement. BOSA offers a range of framework agreements for purchases and by advising on regulations. It is also responsible for the management, development and maintenance of the e-Procurement platform, where procurement of federal, regional and local authorities can be found.  U.S. companies should pursue private sector tender opportunities directly with those companies.

Although U.S. exporters are not required to appoint a local agent or distributor to sell to Belgian companies, it is strongly recommended that companies consider partnering with a local company for the purposes of monitoring business opportunities, navigating import and standard testing regulations, and identifying public sector sales and contract opportunities. The U.S. Commercial Service in Brussels can advise U.S. companies on finding local partners.

For more information or assistance please contact the U.S. Commercial Service office close to you to discuss your international projects for Belgium.