Week of 9 December
1. Concrete milestone at Hyoffwind (Belgium)
The Hyoffwind project team, comprising BESIX, BESIX Environment, and John Cockerill, achieved a significant milestone last Friday by successfully pouring the entire slab of the process building. This involved 350 m³ of concrete. Have a look at the before (2nd pic) and now (1st pic) images below! Congrats, team Hyoffwind!
The Hyoffwind project includes the construction of Belgium’s first 25 MW renewable hydrogen production plant in Zeebruges. Developed by Virya Energy, HyoffGreen, and Messer, this plant will have an initial production capacity of 14,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, with potential for future expansion. The goal is to start producing green hydrogen molecules by 2026.
2. Milestone alert and new project director at Oxagon project (Saudi Arabia)
On the Red Sea coast in northwest Saudi Arabia, BESIX Middle East and its partners have reached an important milestone at the Port of NEOM development project. They have finished installing the tie rods for the quay wall upgrade at Terminal 1 and have placed the first piles for the combiwall near the port’s Coast Guard area. Additionally, they welcomed David Lories as their new project director last week. David is taking over from Bruno Mendiaux, who has led the project team for the past 18 months towards a successful delivery in 2025 and is now returning to Belgium. Welcome, David!
In collaboration with Modern Building Leaders and Boskalis, our team is contributing to the development of Port of NEOM, located in Oxagon City. Works include the design and build of over three kilometres of quay walls, upgrading facilities, and installing advanced port equipment.
3. BESIX team wins Google’s Company of the Month Award (Belgium)
In southwest Belgium, BESIX is constructing the core and shell of a large-scale data centre for Google to address the rising digital demands with swift delivery. A few weeks ago, our team impressed the client with its outstanding teamwork and dedication to enhancing safety standards during an EHS visit. Now, the client has shown even more appreciation by naming our team Company of the Month of November. Well done, team Google!
4. Smoking ceremony held at Shellharbour Hospital (Australia)
Following a sod-turning ceremony that kicked off the start of construction on the Shellharbour Hospital project in Mount Warrigal (Australia), a traditional Smoking Ceremony was also recently held with the Dharawal people, the Traditional Owners of the Country. During this event, various native plants were burned to cleanse the site and bring positive energy to the upcoming project.
The new hospital will provide the local community with high-quality healthcare services, such as an enlarged emergency department, specialised surgical services, enhanced mental health services, and additional parking facilities.
* A Smoking Ceremony is a traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander custom, often performed at the beginning of construction projects to recognise and honour their history, culture, and enduring connection to the land.
And then this… Celebration of Saint Barbara in Casa Castalda Tunnel (Italy)
Last week, our colleagues at the Valfabbrica SS318 project in Italy celebrated the feast of Saint Barbara with a Mass, followed by a lunch in the Casa Castalda tunnel. Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners and - by extension - tunnel workers, is celebrated annually on 4 December. This was a beautiful moment of collegiality and to acknowledge the hard work of the tunnel team!
In central Italy, BESIX and Donati S.p.A. are expanding State Road 318 over a distance of 3.1 kilometres to enhance traffic flow between Perugia and Ancona. In addition to the 1,545-metre-long Casa Castalda tunnel, the project also includes the 874-metre-long Picchiarella tunnel, the Tre Vescovi viaduct and the Calvario bridge.
