Replacement of high-voltage pylon conductors between Buggenhout and Dilbeek

As the Belgian high-voltage grid operator, we have been working on upgrading the high-voltage (380-kV) line between Kruibeke and Dilbeek since 2022. The section between Kruibeke and Buggenhout was completed in 2024. This will be followed by the section between Buggenhout and Dilbeek in 2025 and 2026, with the first phase of this part of the project running from August to November 2025. The work will be finished by the summer of 2026.

Commissioning in 2026

The Mercator–Bruegel project, upgrading the existing 380-kV overhead line between the Mercator high-voltage substation in Kruibeke and the Bruegel high-voltage substation in Dilbeek, got under way in 2022. The section between Kruibeke and Buggenhout was fully completed and commissioned in late October 2024. In 2025 and 2026, this will be followed by the section between Buggenhout and Dilbeek, where we will be replacing the current high-voltage pylon conductors with new, more efficient ones. From early August to late November 2025, the conductors on one side of the line will be replaced. From early 2026 until the summer of that year, the conductors on the other side of the line will be replaced, after which the line will be commissioned. The division of the project into two operational phases will ensure the ongoing availability of the grid while this work is carried out.

The Mercator–Bruegel project is vital not only to upgrade the north–south axis of the Belgian power grid, but also because it improves the distribution and transmission of electrical currents, thus ensuring the continued security of our power supply.