These are parts of a cooling tower in an old power station in Monceau, Belgium. The trumpet-like structure in the middle of this abandoned place introduced hot water to the structure, where it then cooled while dripping down hundreds of small concrete troughs and slats.
Image credits: Pippa Killi Nova
Image credits: Pippa Killi Nova
Originally built in 1921, the Power Plant IM used to be one of the largest coal burning power plants in Belgium—its massive cooling tower cooled 480,000 gallons of water per minute at the height of operation. In the interwar period, the new power plant helped the rapid development of the Belgian industry.
The IM power station was owned by Electrabel, which produced electricity and heat, providing electricity and natural gas to six million people. But with its massive output this particular plant was responsible for 10 per cent of the total CO2 emissions in all of Belgium, and after environmental group Greenpeace protested, the site was shut down in 2007.
Image credits: Matthew Emmett