Upstream: The historical development of electricity supply in the Brussels Region

The arrival of electricity sparked a true revolution in terms of safety and comfort. The City of Brussels closely followed the development of this new technology and after a while invested in its own power stations, enabling it to offer residents the benefits of using electricity. Other municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region followed suit, but there were also instances of collaboration with private companies, which had more freedom to develop. Over time, the focus of energy policy has gradually shifted from the municipal to the regional, national and now ultimately international (European) level. This article briefly outlines the specific consequences of this shift for the electricity supply system in the Brussels-Capital Region and indicates where traces of that system are still visible in today's streetscape.