Global engineering expertise Tractebel

Franki Foundations Group

Franki Foundations Group Belgium is active in the Belgian and Luxemburg market for deep foundations of buildings and civil engineering constructions. The Dutch market is addressed through our sister company Franki Grondtechnieken. The French market is serviced through our sister company Atlas Fondations. Franki Foundations Group Belgium is the undisputed leader in the Belgian market, offering a wide range of foundation techniques. Our more than 200 staff will do its utmost to find and effect the most economical solution to your foundation problem, big or small.

Any project involving deep foundation starts with an extensive soil analysis. At your request, Franki Geotechnics B will assist you in defining which type of soil analysis will be the most suitable for your specific project. Based on the available geotechnical information, our design and research team, in conjunction with the site supervisor, will work out a concept which is right for this particular project. The partnership between the research bureau and the construction site allows us to offer tailor-made solutions taking into account the specific difficulties which are typical for a particular project (period of execution, available space, environmental problems and costs). Our engineers are there to assist you with their know-how and expertise for the entire duration of your project, from the design stage to completion.

They have installed 60,000km of pipelines since the 1960s and gathered extensive expertise in gas distribution networks, with storage both above and underground.

Around a third of Tractebel Engineering’s turnover is generated in what it calls the global market – projects in the Middle East, South America and the Far East, with resources drawn from the offices in India and Europe, and managed with local subcontractors. A further third comes from the domestic market and what it calls the proximity markets in Europe. The remaining third, come from the six international offices and their proximity markets. structed so far in Belgium, and is a clearly recognised player in this field, where it builds its offer on the experience feedback of Belgian nuclear power plants and radwaste facilities operations.

Alternative energy

As the growing pressure for sustainability forces companies to find ever-more environmentally friendly solutions, alternative energy has become an integral part of Tractebel Engineering’s business. It is no longer just a sideline. For example, it is very active in wind energy throughout Europe and is also continuing to aid its clients in exploring the possibilities of biomass energy.

This area of business is not limited to renewable energy, as the company is involved in such projects as advanced CHP and clean coal power plants. It works on coal-fired plants of the most advanced type, using clean coal technology which has much greater efficiency that traditional coal fired plants. These plants have been designed in such a way that they can be easily retrofitted with CO2 capture technology. n

Nuclear power

Tractebel is also poised to reap the benefits of the increased interest in operation support activities for nuclear power plants. A number of countries have shown new or renewed interest in this form of energy – for example, France and Finland are building new nuclear plants.

Nuclear lifecycle management involves what is known in the trade as radwaste, and it is a political, PR and technological hot potato. Tractebel Engineering acted as Architect Engineer of most of the conditioning, treatment and storage facilities con-