GdF-Suez to fight nuclear levy

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

The GdF-Suez group has confirmed it will take the Belgian government to court to try to get the annual 'contribution' levied against the country's nuclear operators annulled.

Belgium's Tihange nuclear plant (Image: Electrabel)

GdF-Suez said in a statement that it had paid its €213 million ($307 million) 'contribution' for 2008 on 31 December 2009 as required by Belgian law. The sum for 2009 has now been set at €250 million ($361 million). The company said the charge would be contestable in court particularly because it is "discriminatory", hitting only the three nuclear power producers in Belgium.

 

"The group … explicitly confirms its intention to apply to the Constitutional Court with a request for nullification," GdF-Suez concluded.

Belgium has two operating nuclear power stations with a total of seven reactors, which between them produce over half the country's electricity. GdF-Suez operates all seven units through its Electrabel subsidiary. This owns three of the units outright as well as 89.8% of another three (the remaining 10.2% being held by SPE). Electrabel jointly owns the remaining unit with Electricité de France (EdF). So, although a levy against nuclear producers hits all three companies, Electrabel bears the brunt of the charge.

GdF-Suez had already voiced its opposition to the 2008 charge, which was announced as a one-off payment. However, last year the Belgian government said it would postpone its planned nuclear phaseout but would charge nuclear operators an annual tax of €215 to 245 million ($310-353 million) over the period 2010-2014.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News