A bit of history:
The power station IM, which is also known as Monceau Central Thermique, was built in Monceau-Sur-Sambre near Charleroi, in 1921 by the “Charbonnage de Monceau Fontaine”. Le “Charbonage de Monceau, was the largest mining company in Charelroi and its origins can be traced back to 1804, when Charles-Alexandre de Gavre, the former lord of Monceau, founded the “Société de Monceau-Fontaine” with 5 associates. After two expansions in the interwar period it became one of the largest coal-burning power plants in Belgium, with a capacity of about 47 MW.
In 1950 a new power station was put into operation next to the old one. The factory buildings, designed by F. and L. Vandenbroucke, consisted of three brick volumes of decreasing height, with large glazed areas. The cooling tower was located on the other side of the Sambre (right bank). An almost identical power station was built in 1953 in Marchienne-au-Pont at coal seat 19 (Saint-Martin), where the Charbonnage de Monceau Fontaine also produced electricity since 1912. Both sites were operated by Intercom which later merged into Electrabel. With a new extension in 1964, the factory buildings in Monceau were more than doubled by a gray extension. In the 1970s, the power station was further expanded so that it could also run on natural gas. By 1977 the plant was the main power station in the Charleroi region.
After a report showing that the plant was responsible for 10% of Belgium’s carbon dioxide emissions, Greenpeace protested against the plant. The plant, which had a capacity of 92 MW at the time, was closed in 2007.
In 2020 they took out parts of the "ground" floor and destroyed all the stairways, including those that let up to the cooling tower and the gasometer
The explore:
I visited the power station IM with a friend (non-member). Getting into the power station was very easy (although there were some lorries driving around) but getting to the upper floor with the turbines requires a bit of a climb due to the universal lack of stairs. On the plus side, once you you are on the upper floor there is nothing that stops you from climbing higher as all other staircases seem to be intact. I have no idea how long this state of affairs will last though. Getting into the cooling tower now also requires a climb up from the bottom of the tower, which unfortunately I did not get around to as I was running out of time. I am planning a return trip though.
Here are some of the pics I took...
The power station IM, which is also known as Monceau Central Thermique, was built in Monceau-Sur-Sambre near Charleroi, in 1921 by the “Charbonnage de Monceau Fontaine”. Le “Charbonage de Monceau, was the largest mining company in Charelroi and its origins can be traced back to 1804, when Charles-Alexandre de Gavre, the former lord of Monceau, founded the “Société de Monceau-Fontaine” with 5 associates. After two expansions in the interwar period it became one of the largest coal-burning power plants in Belgium, with a capacity of about 47 MW.
In 1950 a new power station was put into operation next to the old one. The factory buildings, designed by F. and L. Vandenbroucke, consisted of three brick volumes of decreasing height, with large glazed areas. The cooling tower was located on the other side of the Sambre (right bank). An almost identical power station was built in 1953 in Marchienne-au-Pont at coal seat 19 (Saint-Martin), where the Charbonnage de Monceau Fontaine also produced electricity since 1912. Both sites were operated by Intercom which later merged into Electrabel. With a new extension in 1964, the factory buildings in Monceau were more than doubled by a gray extension. In the 1970s, the power station was further expanded so that it could also run on natural gas. By 1977 the plant was the main power station in the Charleroi region.
After a report showing that the plant was responsible for 10% of Belgium’s carbon dioxide emissions, Greenpeace protested against the plant. The plant, which had a capacity of 92 MW at the time, was closed in 2007.
In 2020 they took out parts of the "ground" floor and destroyed all the stairways, including those that let up to the cooling tower and the gasometer
The explore:
I visited the power station IM with a friend (non-member). Getting into the power station was very easy (although there were some lorries driving around) but getting to the upper floor with the turbines requires a bit of a climb due to the universal lack of stairs. On the plus side, once you you are on the upper floor there is nothing that stops you from climbing higher as all other staircases seem to be intact. I have no idea how long this state of affairs will last though. Getting into the cooling tower now also requires a climb up from the bottom of the tower, which unfortunately I did not get around to as I was running out of time. I am planning a return trip though.
Here are some of the pics I took...
