Belgian trains powered by wind

BELGIUM: Wind energy fed directly into Belgium's rail network is helping power almost 5% of passenger trains following the inauguration of the 14MW E40 Gingelom installation, according to rail network operator Infrabel.

by Jan Dodd 27 October 2015

The 14MW E40 Gingelom project sits beside a Belgian railway line (pic: Greensky)

The seven Vestas 2MW turbines flanking the train tracks and E40 motorway are expected to produce 35,000MWh/year.

Around two-thirds of this will help power high-speed and regular trains on three lines carrying approximately 170 trains a day, while the remainder will feed into the national grid.

The €21-million project is the first phase of a facility that will eventually comprise 25 turbines totalling 50MW owned and developed by Greensky.

Greensky is a joint-venture between Electrabel (50%), Infrabel (10%), the Brussels Electrical Intercommunity (IBE; 17%) and the town of Sint-Truiden (23%).

A second phase comprising 18MW is slated for commissioning in late 2016, while the final 18MW is in the last stage of the permitting process, Greensky said.