BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)--Suez (SZE.FR) may pay EUR400 million to the Belgian government to postpone the decommissioning of its nuclear plants in Belgium, newspaper L'Echo reported Monday, without citing sources.
The payment would be part of a deal the government is reaching to reduce its budget deficit, L'Echo said.
According to Belgian law, nuclear plants must stop operating between 2015 and 2025, while Suez's payment would delay that deadline, the paper said, without providing a new timeframe.
Suez is the main provider of electricity in Belgium, after its acquisition of Belgium's Electrabel in 2005.
A spokesman for Electrabel wasn't immediately available to comment.