Quevaucamps-Harchies
The Quevaucamps-Harchies project entails rebuilding a section of the overhead power line between the Quevaucamps substation and Harchies along a new, improved route.
Upgrade, secure, standardise
The section of 150-kV overhead line between the Quevaucamps substation (Beloeil) and the existing pylon at Harchies (Bernissart) dating back to 1962 and built according to old standards must be upgraded in order to ensure grid reliability. The conductors in this section are reaching the end of their service life. The section will be rebuilt and will follow a new, optimised route along the railway line and the E42 motorway, taking it as far away from homes as possible. Once this section is built, the current section will be dismantled.
The new line will cross through the same towns (Bernissart and Beloeil ) and will be 5.4 km long.
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In the interest of society
- To modernise a section of the current line: the conductors on this line, which date from 1962, are reaching the end of their useful life and therefore need to be replaced.
- To ensure the grid’s and local residents’ safety: by modernising the infrastructure, Elia is ruling out the risk of conductor breakage and increasing the line’s energy transmission capacity.
- To standardise all overhead lines: the conductors along this section have a lower energy transmission capacity than the rest of the line. The new section will have conductors with a power transmission capacity compatible with the rest of the line and current standards.
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The route
Replacing the conductors would require significant upgrade work on the current pylons. This would involve either:- Completely shutting down the line, which is not a viable option since the local electricity supply has to be guaranteed;
- Installing temporary pylons, which is also unacceptable in view of the built-up setting.
As a responsible company anxious to improve local residents’ living environment, Elia therefore decided to rebuild this section of line along a new, improved route that takes it as far away as possible from built-up areas.
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Environment
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) and an appropriate impact assessment (AIA) were carried out for the project by an independent consultancy approved by Wallonia.
As a responsible company , Elia is keen to work with environment and wants to make a positive contribution to the energy transition and develop its grid with an emphasis on biodiversity. With that in mind, an environmental development plan promoting biodiversity was produced for the project. It sets out the development and future management of the affected spaces and will be implemented as soon as the work is completed.
The plan complies with environmental protection legislation and takes into account the recommendations made in the impact assessments mentioned above. Its purpose is to preserve the natural character of the area where the new line will be located. The species planted will be suited to the characteristics of the land in question and to the presence of the infrastructure, ensuring they can coexist harmoniously.
This includes planting native and pure shrub species favourable to pollinating insects and birds . Small pond areas will also be created. In addition, Elia will arrange piles of wood (left over from logging) and stones for amphibians to use as places of refuge and warmth.
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Planning
The interactive map below includes information about all the planned works related to the project.Before the project can start, preparatory work must be carried out, which includes a phase of cutting down vegetation and trees – mainly along the railway line and in privately owned woodland – in order to create the corridor needed to build the line. This will be done between 8 February and 30 March 2021, before the start of the bird nesting period. With a view to restoring the environment in this area, a restoration plan promoting local biodiversity was produced in conjunction with a group of experts in the field Ecofirst .The environmental development plan will be implemented as soon as the work is completed.Reconstruction work on the line section itself will start in late March 2021 and will consist of the following phases:- April 2021-December 2021 - Laying the foundations and building the pylons
- January 2022-March 2022 - Pulling the conductors along the newly built section
- April 2022 - Installing bird flight diverters to make the line more visible to birds
- The line will be live by the summer of 2022. The conductors will be dismantled from September 2022 onwards, whilst the pylons and their foundations will be dismantled from early 2023 onwards.
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Documents
News
12 May 2022
Installation of bird markers
In the past few weeks, teams in the field have installed the bird markers on the new connection.
24 January 2022
First phase comes to an end!
The construction of the overhead line between Quevaucamps and Harchies began last April and is proceeding smoothly. The 14 pylons making up the new line will be erected by the end of the first quarter of this year.
Contact us
If you are affected by a project and want to ask us something, please feel free to contact us.
Our team would be happy to help.
