History
Back in the 1900’s, many Belgian villages were still lit using petroleum lamps, as electricity hadn’t been made available. By 1913, many of these had been updated to Kerosene lamps. Two years earlier in 1911 Baron Floris Van Loo started to build the first power plant in Langerbrugge in the canal area of Ghent in Belgium. It was completed in 1913 and included administrative buildings and official residences, designed by Brussels architect Eugène Dhuicque. The power plant was named the Centrales Électriques des Flandres et du Brabant or CEFB of Langerbrugge (the Dutch name was Elektrische Centralen voor Vlaanderen in Brabant hence the initials ECVB. It went into service in June 1914. Shortly after, during World War I, the turbine room amongst was damaged and the Germans had destroyed a large part of the overhead transmission equipment, cut underground cables and stolen equipment from sub-stations during their retreat. Incredibly, within a month of regaining possession, the plant was supplying power again
During 1919-1924, the power plant saw a huge increase in generating capacity. New boilers were installed. In 1930, engineer Leopold Herry installed a boiler called “Benson” named after its inventor, Mark Benson. Its vaporized water at the temperature of 374 ° and thanks to this advance in thermodynamics, the cost per kWh was lowered. The 1950’s saw difficult years for the power plant. After economic recovery from the war, the price of coal increased dramatically, due to the Suez Crisis. Belgian Plants had the reputation for burning the lowest quality fuels in the world with use of fuel oil and ‘Pitch’ was introduced. In 1956 the Sociétés Reunis d’Energie du Bassin de l’Escaut (EBES) was formed. This incorporated CEFB and three other power plants.
By 1960, there was an inevitability that there would be a need for fewer electricity suppliers in Belgium. Hence, in March 1961, an agreement was signed by Ebes and Intercom to split up distribution areas to avoid conflict. However, these agreements were not rubber stamped and the two companies failed to agree on minute detail. This issue came back around in November 1974. Under pressure from political authorities, an agreement was reached that three large companies would be created. Company ‘A’ would be the already established Ebes, Company ‘B’ would be the result of the merger between Intercom and Interbrabant, and finally Company ‘C’ would be an amalgamation of Electrogaz, UCE-Linalux-Hainaut, of Esmalux, Gas de Namur and industry Ebes of Oisquercq.
A boiler and a back-pressure steam turbine alternator (Group 20), launched in 1974 to supply the paper mills of Langerbrugge, and a gas turbine with alternator and a recovery boiler with after burning (Group 30). In 1986, the Museum Energeia opened on the power plant site. This housed preserved steam engines and steam turbines in the exhibitions, as well as documents and books from the period of 1900-1960. This museum was open to the public and proved quite popular initially.
In 1990, a merger took place to form Electrabel, incorporating Ebes, Intercom and UNERG. While Intercom and Ebes were absorbed completely in the new company, UNERG contributed its electricity production and transmission business, and then changed its name to Powerfin. In 2000, it was decided to close the Museum Energeia. The production of electricity at the plant stopped a year later in 2001, after a new power plant was built. The production of steam and water for heating the district was seen as outdated and more effective methods were implemented. A small part of this power station remained active, still giving everyday power to some surrounded industries until its abandonment in 2009. In 2012 the beginning of the demolition of the older buildings which were completely destroyed commenced. The dismantling of the more modern buildings started, along with extensive removal of asbestos. Whist some of the documents from the museum we removed, the remaining paperwork and equipment was left behind. Unfortunately, thieves looted the museum, destroying the exhibits and stripping them of copper, including the 1912 Compound Steam Engine. The Brown Boveri turbines were dismantled and stripped of copper as well. The building is now protected but was cleared of all internal fixtures in 2015 and has been empty since.
Explore
This was doing the rounds on the socials. We hadn’t seen it for a few years and were all quite surprised when it popped up, thinking it was long gone. So random day out to Belgium, just to see this like you do. Rolled out with Howlin and Cam on another euro mish.
So we’d seen pics of this place and it had all the museum bits still there, mercury arc rectifiers, switchgear, lamps, displays all sort, all covered in a layer of pigeon shit.
Upon our arrival it seemed things had changed a bit, access was as easy as the front door being open, which in turn was because it had workers in there jet washing the pigeon shit. We bumped into two well known Belgian explorers crouched down behind a Boveri avoiding the workers.
We pushed on and saw pretty much all of it without being spotted but we decided push on to the end with the workers. Eventually bumping into a cleaner, who was sound enough to let us have free rein of the place anyway, even offering us her work light to help photograph it. So half permo, half trespass. Pretty gutting though because it seems all the display items had been skipped. Still a really cool turbine hall non the less and decent library with loads of literature about the various plants in Belgium.
Then moving next door to the newer plant the 2 Belgian guys we met earlier had informed us that the cameras worked and the police were very keen at responding so we left it be. Or at least we were going to ……when in Rome..…or Langerbrugge shall I say…I decided to send my drone up and in, via the windows. Awesome. Flew it around the nearly empty turbine hall, scared a few pigeons and took some snaps of the rather cool, now floating lone turb0n. Mint. On the way out however, the wind picked up and it took a tumble into the window frame and dropped inside. Great. Anyway the place was wide open so I managed to retrieve my drone, and get back to the rig and my beers and head off home.
Top day out, props to Howlin for the drives as always.
Pics
Turbine Boiz
Back in the 1900’s, many Belgian villages were still lit using petroleum lamps, as electricity hadn’t been made available. By 1913, many of these had been updated to Kerosene lamps. Two years earlier in 1911 Baron Floris Van Loo started to build the first power plant in Langerbrugge in the canal area of Ghent in Belgium. It was completed in 1913 and included administrative buildings and official residences, designed by Brussels architect Eugène Dhuicque. The power plant was named the Centrales Électriques des Flandres et du Brabant or CEFB of Langerbrugge (the Dutch name was Elektrische Centralen voor Vlaanderen in Brabant hence the initials ECVB. It went into service in June 1914. Shortly after, during World War I, the turbine room amongst was damaged and the Germans had destroyed a large part of the overhead transmission equipment, cut underground cables and stolen equipment from sub-stations during their retreat. Incredibly, within a month of regaining possession, the plant was supplying power again
During 1919-1924, the power plant saw a huge increase in generating capacity. New boilers were installed. In 1930, engineer Leopold Herry installed a boiler called “Benson” named after its inventor, Mark Benson. Its vaporized water at the temperature of 374 ° and thanks to this advance in thermodynamics, the cost per kWh was lowered. The 1950’s saw difficult years for the power plant. After economic recovery from the war, the price of coal increased dramatically, due to the Suez Crisis. Belgian Plants had the reputation for burning the lowest quality fuels in the world with use of fuel oil and ‘Pitch’ was introduced. In 1956 the Sociétés Reunis d’Energie du Bassin de l’Escaut (EBES) was formed. This incorporated CEFB and three other power plants.
By 1960, there was an inevitability that there would be a need for fewer electricity suppliers in Belgium. Hence, in March 1961, an agreement was signed by Ebes and Intercom to split up distribution areas to avoid conflict. However, these agreements were not rubber stamped and the two companies failed to agree on minute detail. This issue came back around in November 1974. Under pressure from political authorities, an agreement was reached that three large companies would be created. Company ‘A’ would be the already established Ebes, Company ‘B’ would be the result of the merger between Intercom and Interbrabant, and finally Company ‘C’ would be an amalgamation of Electrogaz, UCE-Linalux-Hainaut, of Esmalux, Gas de Namur and industry Ebes of Oisquercq.
A boiler and a back-pressure steam turbine alternator (Group 20), launched in 1974 to supply the paper mills of Langerbrugge, and a gas turbine with alternator and a recovery boiler with after burning (Group 30). In 1986, the Museum Energeia opened on the power plant site. This housed preserved steam engines and steam turbines in the exhibitions, as well as documents and books from the period of 1900-1960. This museum was open to the public and proved quite popular initially.
In 1990, a merger took place to form Electrabel, incorporating Ebes, Intercom and UNERG. While Intercom and Ebes were absorbed completely in the new company, UNERG contributed its electricity production and transmission business, and then changed its name to Powerfin. In 2000, it was decided to close the Museum Energeia. The production of electricity at the plant stopped a year later in 2001, after a new power plant was built. The production of steam and water for heating the district was seen as outdated and more effective methods were implemented. A small part of this power station remained active, still giving everyday power to some surrounded industries until its abandonment in 2009. In 2012 the beginning of the demolition of the older buildings which were completely destroyed commenced. The dismantling of the more modern buildings started, along with extensive removal of asbestos. Whist some of the documents from the museum we removed, the remaining paperwork and equipment was left behind. Unfortunately, thieves looted the museum, destroying the exhibits and stripping them of copper, including the 1912 Compound Steam Engine. The Brown Boveri turbines were dismantled and stripped of copper as well. The building is now protected but was cleared of all internal fixtures in 2015 and has been empty since.
Explore
This was doing the rounds on the socials. We hadn’t seen it for a few years and were all quite surprised when it popped up, thinking it was long gone. So random day out to Belgium, just to see this like you do. Rolled out with Howlin and Cam on another euro mish.
So we’d seen pics of this place and it had all the museum bits still there, mercury arc rectifiers, switchgear, lamps, displays all sort, all covered in a layer of pigeon shit.
Upon our arrival it seemed things had changed a bit, access was as easy as the front door being open, which in turn was because it had workers in there jet washing the pigeon shit. We bumped into two well known Belgian explorers crouched down behind a Boveri avoiding the workers.
We pushed on and saw pretty much all of it without being spotted but we decided push on to the end with the workers. Eventually bumping into a cleaner, who was sound enough to let us have free rein of the place anyway, even offering us her work light to help photograph it. So half permo, half trespass. Pretty gutting though because it seems all the display items had been skipped. Still a really cool turbine hall non the less and decent library with loads of literature about the various plants in Belgium.
Then moving next door to the newer plant the 2 Belgian guys we met earlier had informed us that the cameras worked and the police were very keen at responding so we left it be. Or at least we were going to ……when in Rome..…or Langerbrugge shall I say…I decided to send my drone up and in, via the windows. Awesome. Flew it around the nearly empty turbine hall, scared a few pigeons and took some snaps of the rather cool, now floating lone turb0n. Mint. On the way out however, the wind picked up and it took a tumble into the window frame and dropped inside. Great. Anyway the place was wide open so I managed to retrieve my drone, and get back to the rig and my beers and head off home.
Top day out, props to Howlin for the drives as always.
Pics
Turbine Boiz
