Until the end of the last century Belgium (and Western Europe in general) had excess capacity in electricity generation, i.e. the available means of production were greater than the demand for electricity. Several factors have reversed this tendency in recent years, one of these being the liberalisation of the energy markets, which has led to a phase of instability for operators, who have not invested significantly in new means of production.
It is possible to attain sufficient security of supply only by using the full range of means available: seeking to control demand (rational use of energy, energy efficient applications) and increasing the supply by diversifying the means of production. In this connection, nuclear facilities are a valuable tool which contributes, among other means, to this security; in particular, the storage easiness of uranium (uranium has a significant energy potential) would represent an important strategic element in the event of a sudden break in fossil fuel supplies.
