Electrabel and SPE dominate the market for large power users, who have repeatedly complained to the power industry regulator CREG about anti-competitive practices.

Most recently, their complaints focused on the amount Electrabel was charging its customers for CO2 emissions rights – rights that the company had obtained from the government for free.

Electrabel is owned by the French-based group Suez. SPE, the second-largest player on the market, is majority owned by Electricité de France (EDF). One of the complaints was received from Lampiris, based in Liège, which has no electricity production of its own, but buys its electricity and gas for onward sale from the large producers.

According to industry watchdog CREG, Electrabel and SPE together charged their customers €328 million last year for carbon dioxide emissions rights, which the power companies had obtained for free. Since 2005, the CREG said, that income amounts to some €1.5 billion.

Electrabel denied the charges and welcomed the investigation. “This might finally bring some clarity to the situation,” said managing director Jean-Pierre Hansen. Both companies said they would cooperate fully. The results of the investigation are not expected until next year.