Drogenbos – Buizingen

The line between Drogenbos and Buizingen needs to be replaced for two reasons:

• Current cable at end of service life
  The cable currently linking the high-voltage substations in Drogenbos and Buizingen has come to the end of its service life.
• Grid safety and reliability
  By replacing the cable, we are keeping the electricity grid reliable and safe and ensuring that it is always supplied with power.

The new 2 x 150 kV high-voltage line will follow the same route as the current line between the Drogenbos and Buizingen substations. Although Elia is replacing twenty high-voltage pylons, the height and voltage level (2 x 150 kV) of the pylons will remain the same.

• June 2017: Project presented to the local authorities for the towns of Drogenbos, Beersel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and Halle.
• 29 November 2017: Project presented to local residents at an information session.
• December 2017: Declaration of Public Utility and road permit requested.
• March 2019: Start of the work.
• Late 2020: End of the work.
  

The work will take place in seven distinct stages:  
Stage 1: Lopping and clearance

• Lopping and clearance work may be required at some points along the route. This will be done in consultation with the respective land owners and operators.

Stage 2: Creating site access roads

• After surveying the area with the respective land owners and/or operators, temporary access roads will be built for the intermittent traffic needed to carry out the work.

Stage 3: Dismantling the old pylons

• The conductors will be removed section by section and immediately rewound using pulling and braking machines. The pylons will be dismantled and the foundations will be removed from the ground and taken away by lorry.

Stage 4: Laying the new foundations

• The placement and dimensions of the old foundations will be adapted to the dimensions of the new infrastructure so that concrete foundations can be poured for each pylon. The soil removed to create these foundations will be taken away by dump truck. The new infrastructure will be built in the same location as the current line.

Stage 5: Erecting the new pylons

• The new pylons will be transported to the site by lorry. They will be brought there in pieces, assembled on site and then erected. Finally, the cables will be pulled from one end to the other so that they can be attached to the metal crossarms.

Stage 6: Clearing up the site

• As soon as the project is finished, the temporary access roads will be dismantled and the land will be restored to its original state. All waste from the site will be collected and taken to an accredited waste processing centre. A final survey of the area around the site will then be carried out.
  

Stage 7: Fostering biodiversity

• The pylons’ feet can be specially designed to limit maintenance costs and strengthen the ecological network. This special manner of construction will be determined together with an external partner, Elia’s teams and certain affected parties. As the project progresses, other opportunities to enhance biodiversity may well arise.

• Leaflet project Drogenbos-Buizingen (in Dutch)