"Power ship" to be installed at Schelle? "January and February could become tense"
The so-called power ship, which can act as a separate power supplier, could be moored in Schelle, close to Antwerp on the River Scheldt. That's according to a report in De Tijd. Meanwhile, speaking in L'Echo, Engie Electrabel CEO Philippe Van Troeye admits that the situation will be "tense" in January and February.
Power ships are in fact floating electricity-generating plants. Belgium could be confronted with black-outs this autumn and winter as several nuclear plants are out of order. Energy suppliers Engie Electrabel came with one possible solution (or at least part of a solution): bringing a power boat to Belgium.
While this was met with disbelief at first (this principle is mostly applied in developing countries or war-torn areas), the idea is becoming more concrete now. Today, De Tijd writes that Schelle is one of the locations which experts are examining. Not any location will do, because the power needs to be transferred to the big electricity grid. Contacts have been established with the government as well.
Meanwhile, Engie Electrabel CEO Philippe Van Troeye admits in L'Echo that the situation could become tense in the first two months of 2019. In other words, chances of a possible black-out are biggest just after New Year. "But the situation was also tense in November and we managed just fine", he added. However, January and February will be colder, and Belgium could count on less imports.