The works that will bring steam network ECLUSE from the left to the right bank of the Scheldt are advancing. The tunnel through which the pipelines will cross the river Scheldt has been completed. On Tuesday 14 October, the Flemish Minister for Energy and Climate Melissa Depraetere visited the site and inaugurated the tunnel. In the coming period, everything will be provided inside the tunnel to bring steam from Indaver's and SLECO's waste-to-energy plants on the left bank to the first customer on the right bank, Evonik. When the supply of steam begins, it will mean an additional annual reduction of 100,000 to 150,000 tons in the quantity of CO2 emissions and will form a major step towards a low-carbon energy supply for the port of Antwerp.
A technical achievement
In March 2024, work on the ECLUSE tunnel began after years of preparation and meticulous planning. Through this tunnel, which is a technical feat in itself, ECLUSE will transport steam generated during waste incineration at the waste-to-energy plants in Doel to Evonik. The tunnel forms an important extension of the existing ECLUSE network that currently supplies five companies in the port on the left bank of the Scheldt port with process steam.
At 1,288 metres long, it is the longest microtunnel ever drilled in Belgium. The tunnel has an internal diameter of three metres and accommodates the ECLUSE pipelines, a central maintenance path and additional capacity for future pipes and cables. The tunnel was drilled using a process of 'microtunnelling'. This is a technique for constructing underground tunnels in a wide variety of soil types, without digging trenches. This technique is extremely suitable for drilling under roads, railway lines and rivers.
Stefaan Van HulWaste incineration supplies steam for chemical processes
When waste is incinerated at Indaver's and SLECO's waste-to-energy plants in Doel, the flue gases are used to generate steam. Since 2019, that steam has been supplied directly to five neighbouring companies in the port on the left bank of the Scheldt, which receive the steam according to their needs in order to use it in their chemical processes.
The steam is transported at a constant pressure of about 40 bar and at a temperature of about 400 °C. With the expansion to the right bank and Evonik's connection to the ECLUSE network, the proportion of steam used directly will soon be significantly increased.
A few years after steam was first supplied and due to the mix of public legitimacy and private clout, the ECLUSE network in the port on the left bank of the Scheldt is now being extended to the port on the right bank. In this way, the port of Antwerp, as the largest industrial cluster in the region, is making an active contribution towards the energy transition.
Boudewijn Vlegels, Chairperson of Maatschappij Linkerscheldeoever.
Next steps
Now that the tunnel under the river Scheldt has been completed, an important milestone has been reached, but the works are not yet complete. Meanwhile, the second, shorter drilling of 185 metres under the Scheldelaan towards Evonik on the right bank has also begun. This drilling will take about four weeks and will pass underneath Scheldelaan and railway tracks, amongst other things. In parallel, preparations are underway to install the support structures onto which the pipelines will later be attached. Completion of the entire project is scheduled for the end of 2026.
The ECLUSE tunnel is being realised in a collaboration between private and public partners: Indaver, SLECO, FINEG, Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Maatschappij Linkerscheldeoever, with support from the Flemish Government.