Madhumitha Jaganmohan
Research expert covering climate and environmental sustainability
Energy sector in Belgium - statistics & facts
The energy sector in Belgium is shaped by the policies of its national and regional governments, as well as the European Union. The monitoring of the electricity and natural gas market happens on three regional levels, the Brussels-capital region, the Flemish region, and the Walloon region. In March 2016, Belgium closed its last coal-fired power plant in Langerlo and became the seventh EU member state to successfully cut out this fossil fuel from electricity generation. In line with the EU’s energy targets, Belgium has become largely reliant on nuclear energy and around 46.4 percent of the country's total electricity production was from nuclear energy as of 2022.
One of the few nuclear power plant operators is Engie Electrable, the leading electricity supplier in Belgium, with a market share of over 60 percent. Electrable is the Belgian arm of French utility giant Engie.
Domestic production and trade
Belgium produces some 2.96 billion metric tons worth of oil equivalent nuclear energy every year, making it the most produced fuel type in the country. Belgium’s primary energy production stood at 17.4 million metric tons of oil equivalent in 2021. However, satisfying the energy demand of its residents is highly contingent on imports. Dependency on energy imports in Belgium ranged between 75 and 84 percent for most of the past decade.Nuclear phase-out by 2025
The dominance of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix is set to come to an early end by 2025. In December 2021, the Belgian government announced it will begin phasing-out all its seven nuclear power plants and replace the capacity gap with solar and wind energy. In the meantime, the country is expected to rely more heavily on gas-fired power plants.One of the few nuclear power plant operators is Engie Electrable, the leading electricity supplier in Belgium, with a market share of over 60 percent. Electrable is the Belgian arm of French utility giant Engie.
