Thierry Has Been Keeping the Lights On for 25 Years

While Belgium sleeps, Thierry stays vigilant. As a System Engineer at the National Control Centre, he works alongside his colleagues to monitor the high-voltage grid 24/7. He has been with Elia for 25 years, and even longer within dispatching – a role where experience, responsibility, and composure make all the difference every single day. Thierry likes to compare his work to that of a pilot. The only difference is that his plane stays in the air constantly, through all weather conditions, while maintenance is being carried out mid-flight. From the control room, he safeguards the stability of the electricity grid and steps in whenever necessary.

Over the course of his career, Thierry has seen the electricity grid undergo profound changes. International energy exchanges have increased, new technologies have been introduced, and the rise of wind and solar energy has made grid management increasingly dynamic. The control room itself has evolved as well. Where Thierry used to single-handedly man the national dispatching station at times, today a team of experts collaborates around the clock. Yet technology is only part of the story. Experience plays just as critical a role. Holding more years of experience than his seven direct colleagues combined, Thierry increasingly shares his knowledge with a new generation. 

After 25 years at Elia, Thierry sums up his feelings in a single word: pride. Pride in the trust he receives, in the colleagues he works with, and above all, in the fact that he still loves his job just as much as when he started.

His advice to new colleagues is simple: do the job you love, and the rest will follow naturally.