The History
In a small neighbourhood known as Monceau-sur-Sambre, within the Belgian town of Charleroi, sits an abandoned power station, the magnificent abandoned cooling tower of which still looms over the town no longer creating electricity, but providing plenty of dystopian vistas.
Power Plant IM was originally built in 1921 and when it was finished, it was one of the largest coal burning power plants in Belgium. Water would be let into the cooling tower where it would be cooled by the wind that swept in from portals in the base of the tower, releasing billowing columns of hot air. By 1977 the power plant and its massive tower was the main source of energy in the Charleroi area and is said to have been able to cool down 480,000 gallons of water per minute. By the 1970s new components were even added to the power plant that could also use gas power. However the power plant’s days in the sun were numbered.
After years of service, a report found that Power Plant IM was responsible for 10% of the total CO2 emissions in Belgium. Due to this, protests from Greenpeace in 2006 gave the power plant a lot of negative attention and it closed in 2007.
After it was closed down, there were reports of looting by metal scrappers, but today there are often security guards the power plant still lies abandoned, and is said to be scheduled for demolition.
The Explore
As much as this has been seen a billion times it’s always nice to do a bit of “tourbus” every now and then, as the oh so original graffiti on the red turbine said “ Tourist shit”…..
This was a nice simple laid back one for a change, I parked up with the fishermen, said good morning and wandered off. They knew why I was there, I knew why they were there. Difference being I was gonna end up with a load of power station pics whereas sadly they would probably end up with an empty net. However the sun was shining and we would both end up having a nice day and topping up the tan.
First I checked out the “gas holder” and cooling tower on my side of the water before crossing the bridge to the power station. Sorry no cliché naked pics in the cooling tower from me. A 40 year olds fat hairy arse is a site nobody needs to see lol
The bridge wasn’t too bad to cross, in fact in the heat a jump into the stream would have been welcome.
Access to the station was fairly easy with a distinct lack of the security measures seen in a derelict UK station.
I wasn’t really bothered about the rest of the place, it was all about the turbineezzzz and the roof views for me, That and I was a little pushed for time as I had a boat home to catch.
The turbines are great here, I especially loved the one that had been taken apart and resembled a life sized exploded diagram. One of the alternators appeared to have been on fire too, not sure if this was as a result of overheating or as a result of metal thieves. Still it made for some interesting pics.
In a small neighbourhood known as Monceau-sur-Sambre, within the Belgian town of Charleroi, sits an abandoned power station, the magnificent abandoned cooling tower of which still looms over the town no longer creating electricity, but providing plenty of dystopian vistas.
Power Plant IM was originally built in 1921 and when it was finished, it was one of the largest coal burning power plants in Belgium. Water would be let into the cooling tower where it would be cooled by the wind that swept in from portals in the base of the tower, releasing billowing columns of hot air. By 1977 the power plant and its massive tower was the main source of energy in the Charleroi area and is said to have been able to cool down 480,000 gallons of water per minute. By the 1970s new components were even added to the power plant that could also use gas power. However the power plant’s days in the sun were numbered.
After years of service, a report found that Power Plant IM was responsible for 10% of the total CO2 emissions in Belgium. Due to this, protests from Greenpeace in 2006 gave the power plant a lot of negative attention and it closed in 2007.
After it was closed down, there were reports of looting by metal scrappers, but today there are often security guards the power plant still lies abandoned, and is said to be scheduled for demolition.
The Explore
As much as this has been seen a billion times it’s always nice to do a bit of “tourbus” every now and then, as the oh so original graffiti on the red turbine said “ Tourist shit”…..
This was a nice simple laid back one for a change, I parked up with the fishermen, said good morning and wandered off. They knew why I was there, I knew why they were there. Difference being I was gonna end up with a load of power station pics whereas sadly they would probably end up with an empty net. However the sun was shining and we would both end up having a nice day and topping up the tan.
First I checked out the “gas holder” and cooling tower on my side of the water before crossing the bridge to the power station. Sorry no cliché naked pics in the cooling tower from me. A 40 year olds fat hairy arse is a site nobody needs to see lol
The bridge wasn’t too bad to cross, in fact in the heat a jump into the stream would have been welcome.
Access to the station was fairly easy with a distinct lack of the security measures seen in a derelict UK station.
I wasn’t really bothered about the rest of the place, it was all about the turbineezzzz and the roof views for me, That and I was a little pushed for time as I had a boat home to catch.
The turbines are great here, I especially loved the one that had been taken apart and resembled a life sized exploded diagram. One of the alternators appeared to have been on fire too, not sure if this was as a result of overheating or as a result of metal thieves. Still it made for some interesting pics.
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: never seen that gas holder before. Lot more scaffolding in the plant itself than when I passed through late May, don't know what they intend on doing with it... Host, I believe the upper floor panels being taken away have made the control room a no fly zone for mere mortals these days.
