[ ubi energeia fuit ]
'now there are fields, where troy once stood', the roman poet ovid wrote. 'iam seges est ubi troia fuit' in latin.
in the ongoing project ubi energeia fuit i'm investigating traces in the dutch landscape at sites where once energy was produced: abandoned coal mines or lignate pits, remnants of former gas plants or oil facilities, a nuclear power plant taken out of production.
in the netherlands, densely populated as it is, factories and production facilities are usually demolished soon after they have been taken out of use, and the valuable ground is re-used rapidly, to create a resenditial area, new nature or leisure sites.
however, if you know what to look for, traces of the former activities can still be seen. like many other human activities, energy production from the past has altered the landscape for ever.
't haantje, 2014
in 1965 on this spot, near a hamlet called 't haantje, a 50 meters high drilling rig sank into the ground completely, due to a huge blowout that created a 30 meters crater, litterally swallowing the rig, including containers and trucks. it took three months before the blowout was under control and the hole was sealed with cement. the rig, containers and trucks were never found again.
schoonebeek, 2014
in 1996 oil production from schoonebeek, europe's main land's largest oil field, was ceased. all facilities were removed, except the railway that served the oil train transport. in 2011 oil production was resumed, using new facilities. the oil is now transported via pipelines and the railway is obsolete.
dodewaard, 2014
the abandoned nuclear power plant in dodewaard (nl). it started power production in 1969 and was shut down in 1997. the complex is being dismanteld in phases. the buildings that contain radioactivity are now completely sealed. in 2045, after a period of 40 years, the radion levels will be sufficiently low for the remaining infrastucture to be demolished.