Week of 9 October
1. Open Company Day for Socogetra at Carrière des Limites (Belgium)
On Sunday, October 1st our subsidiary Socogetra’s quarry, Carrière des Limites, in Rochefort (Belgium) hosted a special day by opening its doors to the public! Visitors got the chance to explore the quarry’s operations during a guided tour, a ride in a dumper truck, and enjoy a breathtaking view of the quarry from an aerial work platform 45 metres above the ground. To top it off, the quarry had foreseen a variety of sweet and savoury treats to fill the visitors’ empty bellies. With over 1,200 attendees, it was definitely a successful Open Company Day!
More north in Belgium, in Sint-Truiden, another of our subsidiaries, Vanhout, also took part in Open Company Day. They opened the doors of two new units for the psychiatric hospital Asster, which they are on the verge of completing together with Dethier. With 1,500 visitors in attendance, they also look back on a successful Open Company Day! You can read more about the project and the event of October 1st here (in Dutch).
2. Non-stop progress for Rail Baltica (Latvia)
We never get tired of hearing about our Latvian team’s impressive dedication. Works on Riga’s central station continue at a striking pace. 472 of the 773 tonnes of the shoring system for the 6,000 m² concourse have already been assembled. The shoring temporarily supports the structure during construction and plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and stability of the worksite. Meanwhile, the teams have started concreting the slab structure of the concourse. This process will last until November, with a total of 2,900 m² of concrete being poured. Keep up the good work Latvian team!
3. Great advancement on Te Kaha Stadium (New Zealand)
Now, we move to New Zealand, where the Kōtui team, of which BESIX Watpac is the lead contractor, is carrying on astounding progress on the Te Kaha Stadium. Construction is progressing smoothly on the western, southern, and eastern stand superstructures. Additional white structural steel is being installed on the south and east sides, including more rakers that will hold the tiered seating of the arena's bowl. The precast concrete double tee floors are continuing to be installed on the western and southern stands, which are now effectively joined up. Concrete topping for the double tee floors of the western stand is currently in progress, and the same topping work will commence on the south stand this week. Except for the northwest corner of the site, all concrete elements of the ground floor are now complete. Awesome job, BESIX Watpac!
More pictures of the progress of this awesome project in this video!
4. New milestone for Nachtigal hydropower project (Cameroon)
Fresh news from Cameroon: the Nachtigal hydropower installation is about to be connected to Cameroon's electricity grid! This project involves the country's largest hydroelectric scheme, including a hydropower plant on the Sanaga River, a 1.5 km long dam, a supply canal, and water intake installations. When in use, the facility will generate up to 420 MW of electricity annually – which represents 30 % of Cameroon’s electricity needs. With a construction completion rate of 90 % to date, the project will be delivered in the second half of 2024.
And then this... Atlas Fondations blows off 20 candles! (France)
It was 2003 when Franki Foundations set up its French subsidiary near Lille. Even though they have already realised projects all over France, it's really the northern area of the country that remains at the heart of their activities. Today more than ever, Atlas Fondations combines the flexibility of a regional company with the power of Franki Foundations and BESIX Group. Happy birthday for Atlas Fondations!
