The agreement is attached to this press release. Primarily, GDF SUEZ undertakes to prepare a EUR500 million programme of investment in renewable energies, via Electrabel; recruit over 10,000 staff in Belgium by 2015; gradually create a permanent body of 500 training positions, alternating between its various subsidiaries, by 2015 at the latest.
The company will also invest significant sums in research, particularly into carbon capture and storage, and EUR5 million in nuclear research institutes; maintain a high level of activity in Belgium, and in particular to retain its Energy Europe and International business line and Tractebel Engineering bases in the country.
The Belgian State and the Group have also agreed to examine together, in the constructive spirit that led to the agreement, all of the disputes currently existing between them, with a view to settling them once and for all.
Gérard Mestrallet, GDF SUEZ Chairman and CEO, said: “The Group is glad to have concluded with the Belgian Government an ambitious deal for the future, which provides a stable and long-term framework for the industrial development of GDF SUEZ in Belgium. The agreement means we can confirm our commitment to invest in the nuclear units Doel 1 and 2 and Tihange 1, in line with the decision to extend their operational lifetime by 10 years, through to 2025, in optimum safety conditions. In addition to this commitment, which is essential for security of supply, GDF SUEZ also firmly undertakes to invest in the development of renewable energies, to support the Government’s policy on jobs and vocational training and to devote significant sums to research. This agreement therefore offers us prospects that are fully compatible with our corporate vision.”
