Week of 25 April
1. The intake canal is taking shape (Cameroon)
In Nachtigal, our colleagues and their NGE and SGTM partners have just completed the waterproofing of the first part of the hydroelectric power plant's intake canal. The entire project, which will produce one third of Cameroon's energy, includes the construction of a dam, the intake canal and the hydroelectric power plant. Each of these infrastructures is on the gigantic scale of the project: for example, the intake canal has a total length of 3 kilometres. Financed by EDF International, the IFC and the Cameroonian government, Nachtigal is the largest ongoing public-private partnership in Africa in the energy sector. It will have a capacity of 420 MW. Congrats to our colleagues for this impressive work. In addition to the pictures below, you can watch this video, which gives us a recent update of the project.
2. Inside Sydney (Australia)
In the heart of Sydney, our colleagues at BESIX Watpac have been building the Barangaroo metro station since 2021, which will improve access to the Walsh Bay arts and cultural district from 2024. The work is progressing remarkably well, with which the client Sydney Metro is clearly satisfied. In the underground section, the 170-metre-long platform was completed using 195 precast concrete sections. Four of the station's ten escalators have also just been installed, while our teams are preparing to install the lifts and rails. Above ground, a new tower crane has been brought in, rising 70 metres into the sky. Work on the station entrance is about to begin. Congratulations to BESIX Watpac for this brilliant execution. We look forward to the next steps.
3. The final stretch to delivery (France)
In Neuilly-sur-Seine, a commune bordering the city of Paris, BESIX France has been building since 2018 the new hospital complex of the Cliniques Ambroise Paré, Pierre Cherest, Hartmann, a reference in France, notably in oncology. The delivery is scheduled for July and we can already have a nice glimpse of the buildings’ facades. This is a great job, especially as there is also everything that these images do not show. The challenges were considerable. The extremely small size of the site and the high urban density, combined with the Covid-19, demanded extraordinary creativity from the teams. For example, a single access road via a boulevard and no logistical space prompted our colleagues to opt for the Stross method, which consists of excavating and building the lower levels under the ground floor slab, from top to bottom. They also had extremely strict constraints on cleanliness, noise and the use of tower cranes above homes. Well done to BESIX France for this complex project.
4. Who you gonna call? (Belgium)
On 12 April, in Ougrée, near the city of Liège, Belgium, a barge collided with an old metal bridge over the Meuse. In an extremely unstable position, the bridge forced the interruption of traffic on this part of the river, which accounts for more than 50 boats a day, and on the nearby roads, on which 50,000 cars pass every day. There was only one solution: urgently remove the bridge.
This is where Socogetra comes in. At the request of the public authorities of the Walloon Region, four cranes were urgently deployed, two in the water and two on the banks. The operation consisted of cutting the bridge into three parts and removing it in one day. What happened next, you can guess! Our colleagues from Socogetra carried out this emergency operation brilliantly, under the eyes of, among others, the regional minister for Infrastructure, and the press. The RTBF, the national French-speaking public television channel, reported on this for its news programme on Friday 22 April (watch it here, in French). Congrats to everyone at Socogetra!
And then this... A first BYC (BESIX France)
The BESIX Young Community, or BYC, brings together BESIX employees under the age of 36, in particular through the organisation of activities aimed at creating a network and a community. After two years marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, BYC activities are starting up again in 2022. And for BESIX France, this is a first. All our young BESIX France colleagues working in Paris or in the Paris region have been invited to take part in a Laser Game evening. A fun moment for all.
P.S.: The BYC activities in Belgium will also make their comeback soon. Stay tuned and certainly keep an eye on your emails, so you don’t miss anything!
