Tractebel is an international company, with Belgian roots, providing worldwide life-cycle consultancy and engineering in power, nuclear, gas, industry and infrastructure for the GDF SUEZ Group – within GDF SUEZEnergy Services – as well as for national and international institutions and customers in public or private markets. GDF SUEZ Energy Services is one of the key business lines of Engie.
History
Four companies
Tractebel traces its beginning to Gaz Belge, a holding company founded in 1862 to provide gas lighting and heating - and three other pioneering enterprises specialised in trams, railways and electricity: Société Générale de Chemins de Fer Economiques, Compagnie Mutuelle de Tramways and Société Générale Belge d'Entreprises Electriques. By 1901, all four companies had set up design offices and were carrying out investment projects and managing the resulting operations. These included power supply and public transport in Belgium, the first electric trams in Damascus - Syria and Odessa - Ukraine, railways in Egypt and power stations in Argentina.
Electrobel and Tractionel
In 1929, three of the companies merged to form the engineering consultancy Electrobel, and went on to construct several “new” Belgian power plants. The fourth, 'Mutuelle des Tramways' changed its name to 'Traction & Electricité' and later to 'Tractionel'. These two entities established their core business with projects such as the extension and upgrade of the Belgian power grid after the Second World War and the installation of Belgium’s nuclear power plants from 1969. More infrastructures; pipelines, dams, hydropower stations and complex buildings were also commissioned – locally and abroad. In 1977, Coyne et Bellier famous for their hydroelectric dams joined the Electrobel group. Finally after decades of collaboration on many projects Electrobel and Tractionel merged in 1986. The name Tractebel was born – along with a new engineering division: Tractebel Engineering grew, establishing its own divisions and a worldwide network of affiliates; acquiring Cheming in 1992 and founding Citec in 1993. The group’s Flemish subsidiaries merged under the name of Technum in 1995. Trapec joined in 1997, followed Leme in 2000 – the same year that Tractebel Engineering Italy and TECPL in India were set up.
Suez
In 2003, Tractebel merged with Société Générale de Belgique. The company created was SUEZ-Tractebel, a wholly owned subsidiary of SUEZ. In 2008, SUEZ itself then merged with Gaz de France to form GDF SUEZ - and Tractebel Engineering became, overnight, the engineering consultancy for the world’s no.1 independent energy Group. In 2009, Tractebel Engineering became a legal entity and a fully fledged independent company within the GDF SUEZ Energy Services business unit of GDF SUEZ.
Leme Engenharia, established in 1965, is a Brazilian company that provides independent Consulting Engineering services for a broad range of economic sectors, notably the infrastructure segment. It designs and manages projects of all sizes and its clients include private and public companies, as well as Federal, State and Municipal governmental agencies, both within and outside Brazil.
The company was founded in 1952. In 1992 it became a fully owned and integrated member of the world wide net of TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING, an engineering arm of SUEZ ENERGY SERVICES and GDF SUEZ group.
On the 20th of March 2000 Tractebel establishes an Italian engineering company in Rome. At the end of 2006, the Suez Tractebel Italian Branch is established adopting the logo of Tractebel Engineering Suez. On 2 February 2009 the Italian Branch of Suez Tractebel S.A. becomes operative as Tractebel Engineering S.p.A. Now employs approximately 65 people.
Tractebel Engineering, Poland started off as CITEC which was established in 1993 as limited liability Company after one year of operation of branch office of CITEC Belgium and since then has grown very rapidly, establishing its present position as one of the largest Polish consulting companies. In 1996 the shareholders of CITEC decided to transfer the company into joined stock CITEC S.A. In 2009, CITEC adopted the name and branding of Tractebel Engineering.
Formerly known as Trapec which was set up in 1997, as a purely private stock company for engineering activities. The company is nowadays owned 100% by GDF Suez, through Tractebel Engineering. Tractebel Engineering, Romania is active in energy engineering and in infrastructure. Now employs 211 engineers.
