- Joined
- Jan 2, 2017
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 151
- Points
- 33
- Location
- Belgium
- Website
- www.urbanrelics.be
Now this was an exciting explore! Only recently put to rest, the electricity in this biomass power plant was stil working. Lights burning everywhere and the constant buzz of generators throughout the entire plant. I was totally expecting to get caught here and I came prepared. I had a spare sd-card in my pocket with a few dummies, so I was ready to make the quick switch and save whatever I might have accumulated at the moment of my capture... After treading about as carefully and quietly as humanly possible for about an hour or so, it became clear that there was no one else there. I could relax a little and focus on the photography. I ended up roaming around this huge power plant for well over six hours, which would account for the rather large amount of photos... Love at first sight with the immense classic Brown Boveri gas turbines. Well, you'll see what I mean when you look at the photos. Or perhaps you won't, which is also cool.
First some background on this power plant perhaps?
Powering large industrial sites requires a lot of energy. It is therefore not surprising that large power plants are located in the vicinity of large industrial areas. This is also the case with this power station, which was built near the Liège industry. Construction started shortly after World War II and the first coal-powered units were put into service in the early 1950s. They each produced 55 MW. From the mid-1960s, two additional units were built, fueled by gas and with a capacity of 130 MW each. Finally, a fifth unit followed in the mid-1970s, reaching a capacity of 300 MW. Just before the turn of the millennium, the three oldest units were shut down and the gas-fired fifth unit was kept as a spare unit. The unit that is the subject of this series underwent a thorough metamorphosis, in which a switch was made from fossil fuel to 100% biomass.
The plant is traditionally built with a boiler room, where the biomass was prepared and burned to generate steam. This steam was then sent to the adjacent turbine hall, where the turbines were powered, which in turn powered the alternators that generated the electricity. The turbine hall contains 5 turbines: two Brown Boveris, two Rateau-Schneiders and one Stork.
In mid-2020, after 15 years of service as a biomass power station, this last unit was also shut down when the decision was made to build a new gas-fired power station.
Ready for a few photos?
Let's have a look at the turbine hall first...
No power plant can go without at least one control room. This one has two...
Lots of fun stuff underneath the turbines too...
And then there is the boiler room. Still looking hot today!
Yay! You made it to the very end! Told you it was gonna be an extensive set...
Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoyed it...
First some background on this power plant perhaps?
Powering large industrial sites requires a lot of energy. It is therefore not surprising that large power plants are located in the vicinity of large industrial areas. This is also the case with this power station, which was built near the Liège industry. Construction started shortly after World War II and the first coal-powered units were put into service in the early 1950s. They each produced 55 MW. From the mid-1960s, two additional units were built, fueled by gas and with a capacity of 130 MW each. Finally, a fifth unit followed in the mid-1970s, reaching a capacity of 300 MW. Just before the turn of the millennium, the three oldest units were shut down and the gas-fired fifth unit was kept as a spare unit. The unit that is the subject of this series underwent a thorough metamorphosis, in which a switch was made from fossil fuel to 100% biomass.
The plant is traditionally built with a boiler room, where the biomass was prepared and burned to generate steam. This steam was then sent to the adjacent turbine hall, where the turbines were powered, which in turn powered the alternators that generated the electricity. The turbine hall contains 5 turbines: two Brown Boveris, two Rateau-Schneiders and one Stork.
In mid-2020, after 15 years of service as a biomass power station, this last unit was also shut down when the decision was made to build a new gas-fired power station.
Ready for a few photos?
Let's have a look at the turbine hall first...
No power plant can go without at least one control room. This one has two...
Lots of fun stuff underneath the turbines too...
And then there is the boiler room. Still looking hot today!
Yay! You made it to the very end! Told you it was gonna be an extensive set...
Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoyed it...
