Charleroi-Brussels Canal: modernization of locks and pumping stations

Since December 2020, these three structures located on the southern part of the canal have therefore been equipped with high-performance, modern facilities, consisting of equipment made entirely in Belgium.

All the electromechanical equipment has been renovated: trolleys and winches for operating the suspended gates, lock gates, medium and low-voltage electrical installations, state-of-the-art automation.

The civil engineering works were particularly extensive. On each site, the existing "box" housing the old pumps had to be kept and fitted out in order to install three Archimedes' screws.

In addition to the installation of a temporary pumping unit of 9000 m³/h, a special phasing of the structural works was planned from the start of the project.

The project is also in line with Tractebel's carbon neutrality objectives. In fact, one of Archimedes' three screws is reversible, allowing it to operate as a pump and a turbine. In times of high floods, this allows part of the water to pass through the spillway without being turbined, which considerably increases the discharge capacity of the rising waters at Marchienne and Gosselies.

A "turbine" screw can also cover the basic electrical energy needs of the lock site. The surplus produced is then reinjected into the network. The power supplied by each screw in "generator" mode varies between 112 and 130 KW depending on the particular conditions of each site.

This project follows on from the many other lock projects of the SPW in which Tractebel has been active for years (Lanaye, HPH, Ivoz, Ampsin), making it possible to make the teams' cutting-edge skills available for this key player in the development of river infrastructure and energy transition.