From gas lighting to experimental fusion technology - Tractebel Engineering has been offering leading edge services to customers around the world for more than a century.

Tractebel Engineering's earliest ancestor was Gaz Belge, a holding company founded in 1862 to provide gas lighting and heating. The other enterprises at the origin of our history specialised in trams, railways and electricity. Through pioneering technological services in their respective areas, they laid the foundations of an engineering network that, several generations later, would extend to several continents.

But our story really starts in 1901. By this time, these companies had established drawing offices to carry out investment projects and manage the resulting operations directly. Alongside major assignments for power supply and public transport in Belgium, some of the first milestones of this time include the introduction of electric trams in Damascus - Syria and Odessa - Ukraine, railways in Egypt, and power stations in Argentina.

In 1929, three of these companies merged to form the engineering consultancy Electrobel, which as part of its very first contracts dealt with the construction of several new Belgian power plants. The fourth, the former 'Mutuelle des Tramways', changed its name to 'Traction & Electricité', and later to 'Tractionel'. Together, these two new entities established their core business in the areas which remain our main focus to this day - power, nuclear, gas, industry and infrastructure .

Landmark projects included assistance with the extension of the Belgian power grid, with major upgrades starting just after the Second World War, and the installation of the first nuclear power plants from 1969. Vast infrastructures were commissioned, notably pipelines, dams and hydropower stations, as well as a first series of complex buildings. As we were branching out into new areas of activity, we also began to take on new roles, with teams handling assignments on behalf of third parties both at home and abroad. In 1977, the French company Coyne et Bellier joined the group, boosting its capacity in the area of dams and hydropower.

Electrobel and Tractionel, who had been cooperating on a wide range of projects for decades, eventually decided to merge in 1986. The name Tractebel was born.

And with it, a new engineering division. Tractebel Engineering proceeded to establish a worldwide network of member companies and business divisions, notably by launching Tractebel Development Engineering, acquiring the Czech consultancy Cheming in 1992 and founding Citec in Poland in 1993. In 1995, the Flemish subsidiaries merged under the name of Technum. The Romanian company Trapec joined in 1997, followed by the Brazilian company Leme in 2000, when we also set up Tractebel Engineering, in Rome - Italy, and Tractebel Engineers & Constructors Pvt. Ltd. , in New Delhi - India.

In 2003, Tractebel merged with Société Générale de Belgique. The name of the company created as a result of the merger is SUEZ-Tractebel, a wholly owned subsidiary of SUEZ, an international industrial group specialising in sustainable and innovative solutions for the management of public utility services.

After more than hundred years of pioneering services we remain at the forefront of technological development in our chosen field. Our determination to advance the state of the art endures. Today, this involves among others, designing the Tokamak water cooling systems for the experimental fusion reactor ITER and building the gas handling system for the world's first Floating Storage Off-loading (FSO) unit. We are eager to see what it will involve tomorrow.