It was the Flemish press that sounded the alarm: the construction of the new power plant of the Engie group, in Flémalle, represents a risk of espionage, or at least of foreign interference in a strategic sector. Foreign, and in this case Chinese, since the coordination of the site was entrusted to the Chinese company Sepco3. It is on the basis of a European filtering of investments in energy and telecommunications that concerns have been expressed, relayed by the liberals in the north of the country.
On the side of Engie, it is misunderstanding. Sepco3 is a world-class player, present in around thirty countries, chosen following a long selection procedure, on the basis of an international call for tenders, where it proved to be the best on the price and quality criteria. In principle, regarding thirty employees will come to work on site, a small proportion compared to the half-thousand workers, local or at least Belgian firms, which will have to be used. The contract with Sepco3 has been signed since last year.
Are these real suspicions, or a political game? The question of permits for gas-fired power plants to be built in order to allow an exit from nuclear power has taken a linguistic turn in recent months, with one or another refusal on the Flemish side. And perhaps it should be remembered that in the past the same voices were raised once morest possible threats of Chinese espionage at Bierset airportbefore State Security ended up talking regarding a lack of clues…