Protesting the planned high voltage line during the Benelux tour

Citizen groups are not giving up on the Ilya Ventillos project. On Thursday 2 September they will make it clear with several signs along the route of Stage 4 between Aalter and Ardooie of the Benelux Tour. “Because the health of residents along the route of the planned HV line is important,” says Heidi DeLeo of the Citizen platform.

On Thursday, September 2, the Benelux Tour, the former BinckBank Tour, will travel from Aalter to Ardooie through the planned radiation zone for the Ventilus High Voltage Project. A moment for citizen groups to make their voices heard again through banners and slogans. They want to draw the attention of all cycling enthusiasts to it.

no legislation

“For now, the procedure for the Ventilus project, which wants to build a new 6-GW high-voltage link from the coast to Avelgem, has been put on hold,” says Heidi Delio of Citizen Platform. But that doesn’t mean that we as citizen platforms are also “hanging”. Banners with slogans will be displayed along the itinerary on Thursday with arrival at the Ardooie. Because there is no legislation on radiation from high voltage power lines in Flanders and we do not want anyone to be harmed by radiation. Short and strong slogans such as: ‘Here is forbidden illegal radiation’, ‘Underground high voltage and legislation’ and ‘Stop .. Danger! Radiation zone!’. In Belgium, Elia does not have to take into account the health of residents near high voltage lines , measurements are not made and there is no binding legislation in Flanders to prevent health harms to the local population.”

In Germany, such a high-voltage line can be completely underground. “Elia Group already has experience working underground for direct current. In 2020, our high voltage Belgian network was connected to the entire German underground and direct current network at a distance of 90 km, from Liege to Aachen. In 2019, the direct current connection became operational Between Zeebrugge and the UK is a distance of 140 km. In the coming years, 3 more direct international connections will follow. So it is definitely possible underground. ” (IB)