Dutch energy supplier Eneco is to withdraw from the Brussels residential market. No more new customers will be accepted, and existing contracts will not be renewed after expiry.

According to Eneco, the decision results from overly complex regulations and overprotection of customers. As a result, conditions are no longer profitable and unsustainable in the short and long term.

Limited competition after Eneco’s departure

Eneco has stopped accepting new customers in Brussels since the beginning of September. The company will inform existing customers that they can stay until the end of their contracts. Expiring contracts will not be renewed.

In this way, Eneco will completely phase out the Brussels residential market within a maximum of three years. However, it will remain an energy supplier for the self-employed and companies in Brussels.

After Eneco’s departure, only a few energy suppliers, such as Engie and TotalEnergies, will remain active in Brussels. Eneco says this is bad news for households, who may not get the keenest price due to limited competition. Eneco is, therefore, calling on the government to update the rules.

Bet on renewable energy

Last week, it was also announced that Eneco is no longer a candidate to invest in a large gas-fired power plant in Manage, near La Louvière. Although the permit process is ongoing, the company wants to bet on renewable energy or flexible solutions with green hydrogen or battery farms at the site, says Bert Clinckers, Eneco Belgium’s top executive, in an interview with the newspaper De Tijd.

Indeed, under the name Eneco Business Battery, Eneco has started developing and installing large business batteries in Belgium. For instance, it is building a 50-megawatt battery plant in the Walloon town of Ville-Sur-Haine (Hainaut).

Last year, Eneco, which also operates in Germany and was taken over by a Japanese consortium in 2019, also invested 48 million euros in onshore wind farms in Belgium.