Kristalpark III, largest solar park in the Benelux
In Lommel, North Limburg, at the heart of the Euregio, Kristalpark III is being developed on an industrial estate totalling nearly 900 hectares. Lommel is a pioneer in renewable energy, and the development of Kristalpark III therefore strives for an ideal integration between industry, green space, and renewable energy. Lommel is constructing the largest solar park in the Benelux with 300,000 solar panels. This solar park will be complemented by 13 wind turbines. Kristalpark III can proudly call itself the most sustainable business park in Flanders.
H.Essers significantly expands chemical logistics
To meet the growing demand for chemical logistics solutions, H. Essers is investing in 150,000 m² of Seveso warehouses at the Kristalpark site. Spanning approximately 27 hectares, the site is favorably located with a view to international accessibility by road, water, and rail. With this investment, H. Essers is significantly expanding its capacity for chemical clients and creating up to 500 new jobs.
Canalco, underground utility infrastructure specialist
The specialized firm Canalco from Grobbendonk is currently handling the installation of all underground pressure pipelines for (fire) water, foam, and natural gas there. Deschacht is supplying the materials. Filip Haeverans of Canalco explains. “We are one of the larger specialists in the installation of underground pressure pipelines on private property. Because of this, we have been working for the logistics company H. Essers for ten years. Last year, we installed underground pressure pipelines for their new warehouses on the former Ford site in Genk. Both in Genk and in Lommel, these involve warehouses for the storage of hazardous goods.”
Dangerous goods impose special requirements
“It goes without saying that strict safety requirements are imposed on this type of storage warehouse. For example, in addition to an underground pipeline with fire hydrants for the fire department, we also have to provide a special underground pipeline that transports foam concentrate from a storage tank to the foam system in the building. According to the standards, a building of 4,000 m² with a height of 11 meters must be able to be completely foamed within 6 minutes in order to cut it off from the air. This is achieved by the enormous expansion of the foam concentrate when it comes into contact with water and air. The foam expands by a factor of 10,000 and is subjected to a pressure of 18 bar. To withstand that pressure, we use HDPE pipes with a diameter of 280 that can withstand pressures up to 25 bar.”
Ductile iron fire water pipe
The fire extinguishing pipe we are installing has a diameter of 400, which is quite large. From a diameter of 250 upwards, we use cast iron pipes because, once installed, they are more cost-effective per linear meter than plastic pipes. Deschacht supplies us with ductile iron pipes from Electrosteel for this purpose, of which they are the exclusive distributor in Belgium. Because the new warehouses also need to be supplied with drinking water and gas, we are also installing pipes for these in PE and HDPE, respectively.”
Canalco
Grobbendonk action area Flanders and southern Netherlands
Underground pressure pipes (Water-Gas-Fire extinguishing-HVAC)
