De Haan wants a different grid operator, but first asks for support from Ostend and Bredene

Such a switch does mean a financial loss for the municipality itself. But neighboring municipalities of Ostend and Bredene could help, says mayor Wilfried Vandaele. “Gaselwest is actually quite expensive for the consumer, but it pays a lot for the municipalities. We now have the opportunity to switch to another distribution system operator, Imewo. Imewo is cheaper for the customer. We want to give the residents that pleasure, that their bill will be a bit lower. But it is less profitable for the municipality. In six years we will miss 800,000 euros in dividends,” the mayor said.

To help bear the loss, De Haan is looking at neighboring municipalities of Bredene and Ostend. They are now affiliated with Imewo, but are on an island, and that is actually not possible. De Haan therefore wants to help them financially in the bath. Wilfried Vandaele: “If we don’t switch, Ostend and Bredene will be obliged to get to Gaselwest, where we are now. So that means that their residents will automatically pay more. We can help them by switching. Their citizens no longer have to and ours a little less. But because the income for De Haan is going down so much, 133,000 euros per year, we ask that they adjust that a bit. Ostend agrees. Bredene still has to cross the bridge.”

Response Ostend and Bredene

Bart Tommelein, mayor of Ostend: “We have agreed with the three mayors that we will sit around the table to see what the income is that De Haan is missing. And to what extent we can show solidarity with the city of Ostend and the municipality of Bredene. In any case, we do not intend to charge the residents of Ostend higher distribution network rates on the electricity bill.”

The municipality of Bredene has not yet responded to the camera. She wants to start the conversation, but first see all the elements on the table.