SPIE installs 10 quayside power supply units for De Vlaamse Waterweg

In 2019, SPIE Belgium decided to develop a prototype quayside power supply installation with its partners Phoenix, which took responsibility for the materials, and Involtum (Netherlands), which was responsible for the payment platform. The quayside supply consists of an electrical cabinet installed along the banks of ports or navigable waterways, where vessels can moor and connect to the power supply. The benefit of this system is that vessels do not need to leave their polluting diesel generators running to produce the power they need. Boatmen can also use a smartphone app to switch on and off the socket on the quayside supply cabinet and pay for their energy consumption.

The operator maintains an overview, via web browser, of the cabinets switched on, the energy consumed and the associated revenue.

SPIE Belgium's Infrastructure & Services commercial unit has landed its first contract with this product. This commercial unit will produce and install 10 quayside power supply units for De Vlaamse Waterweg at the Wijnegem lock complex, on the Albert Canal in Antwerp. De Vlaamse Waterweg manages and operates over 1000 km of navigable rivers and canals, a powerful network that contributes to the economy, prosperity and quality of life in Flanders. In order to improve transport via navigable waterway, they will continue to expand the quayside power supply installations at Wijnegem, so that there will be cabinets on both sides of the country's busiest lock complex. This work is taking place as part of the BENEFIC project[1], under the European 'Connecting Europe Facility' programme funded by the European Commission.

As Christian Deleener, Business Development Manager at SPIE Belgium, says: 'Our perseverance and investments in this prototype, together with our partners Phoenix and Involtum, are now being rewarded with this excellent contract. It forms part of a more streamlined energy usage strategy, which we are strongly encouraging and which fits perfectly with the commitments we have made at SPIE.'

This latter is optimistic when it comes to the future of quayside power supply units: 'Today, we are very proud to have carried off this project, but in the future, SPIE could also provide similar installations, for example to supply electricity in parking areas for trucks with refrigerated compartments. Not only does this system avoids environmental pollution, but it also reduces noise disturbance for other drivers. The same application can also be used in areas reserved for motorhomes, at large festivals, at marketplaces...'

_{[1] BENEFIC is an innovative cross-border project for the development of charging and refuelling infrastructure for alternative fuels for transport.}