The measure, which will come into effect on Monday, had been demanded at the beginning of September by the Walloon government in the midst of soaring electricity prices.
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Fire extinction. The lights will be turned off at night on most of the motorways in Wallonia, a French-speaking region in the south of Belgium, to save energy, the network manager announced on Friday September 16. The measure, which will come into effect on Monday, had been demanded at the beginning of September by the Walloon government in the midst of soaring electricity prices.
“In the context of the energy crisis, this measure aims both to reduce consumption and to reduce the electricity bill of the public authorities”, said Sofico, which manages 2,700 km of highways and national roads in this region. Extinction will concern “20,000 light points” located on the medians of motorways, out of a total of 25,000, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
“The interchanges, including the entrances and exits of the motorways, areas potentially more at risk, will remain lit”she said, highlighting user safety. Sofico estimates that switching off the lights will reduce electricity consumption by 2,670 MWh per year, or a budget saving of 400,000 euros at the current rate.