Major project proves importance of waterways

Remediation of a former coal park by the Awirs power plant near the Autonomous Port of Liège in Belgium has been completed after three months mobilising 220,000 tonnes of soil by waterway.

Envisan, a subsidary of civil engineer Jan de Nul, also used its physiochemical washing process to transform almost 120,000 tonnes of the soil into sand and aggregate so it can be re-used in the construction industry.

The works were carried out in deconstructing a former coal park at the Awirs power plant in Flémalle, near Liège.

Over three months, 120,000 tonnes soil were extracted from the coal yard and 100,000 tonnes brought back via the port, which is Belgium’s first inland port.

”This made it possible to take 120 lorries off the road for wach waterway transport and to reduce CO2 emissions by using an eco-friendly means of transport,” said Raf Anné, Project Director for the site with ENGIE, which was also involved in the project.

”This responsible management approach has been implemented by ENGIE since 2016 for the removal of ash from the Hénâ slag heap at the Awirs, from where they are transported via a covered conveyor belt to the Meuse River. From there, it is transported by barge to the cement plants. Just like ash, soil has a second lease of life.”

Following the clearance of the site ENGIE will build a combined gas and steam turbine power plant.