The Brabo project is being carried out to upgrade the high voltage grid in and around the Port of Antwerp and thereby increase Belgium's security of power supply.
Elia plans to install two 192m long new pylons on the banks of River Scheldt for the new transmission line. The company expects the work to be completed by mid-2019.
Elia’s Stefaan Vanden Berghe, who is in charge of the program, said: “Elia's high-voltage cables over the Scheldt will have to span a distance of 1 km. The extent of that distance is one reason why the pylons need to be 192 m high.
“Elia also has to respect a statutory clearance height of 100 m above the highest level of the River Scheldt.”
Elia had planned to develop various sub-projects as part of the Brabo project. It had started the related work in 2015 and had scheduled to carry out till 2020.
The new high-voltage line spanning the River Scheldt is planned to renew and upgrade the Zandvliet-Lillo-Liefkenshoek connection, named as Brabo II. It will be built between the existing high-voltage substations in Zandvliet and Lillo and the Mercator high-voltage substation in Kruibeke.
Elia will renew and upgrade the existing 150kV line between Zandvliet and Doel, along the A12 motorway, to the 380kV line.
According to the TSO, the Brabo project will also have a major role in upgrading Belgium's interconnection with the Dutch electricity grid. Elia said that cross-border interconnections facilitate international electricity trading and thereby help in keeping prices competitive.
Image: Map illustrating Brabo project’s coverage in Belgium. Photo: courtesy of Elia.
