Heist-op-den-Berg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Heist-op-den-Berg wrongly paid electricity for a Blue Corner charging station for 13 years. Alderman Sebastian Mariën confirmed oversight. Blue Corner will reimburse costs, including €2,275 settlement.
As VRT News reported, Heist-op-den-Berg, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, discovered that the municipality had been paying the electricity bill for a private charging station for 13 years.
“It’s a mystery why no one noticed that Blue Corner didn’t pay anything for 13 years”
Alderman Sebastian Mariën (CD&V)
What made Heist-op-den-Berg pay private charging station bill 13 years?
Alderman for Mobility Sebastian Mariën (CD&V) said the situation should not have gone unnoticed.
“Even I am surprised this happened. The follow-up had to be better,”
he stated. The mistake was only found this month and raised questions about the control of such agreements. A solution has now been reached with Blue Corner. The company will reimburse the municipality for the entire sum from the past 13 years.
The financial outcome of the case is not yet fully clear, but the municipality has managed to settle part of the issue. From 2017 onwards, the town kept exact records of the electricity consumed by the charging station, and those figures will now be charged.
For the years between 2012 and 2017, no precise data was available, which made an exact settlement impossible. To bridge that period, operator Blue Corner has accepted a fixed payment of €2,275.
Alderman Mariën highlights that the circumstances around charging stations have changed markedly in the last 10+ years. In 2012, there was no clear marker for a municipality, leading to delay and uncertainty.
Today, Sep 11, 2025, Flemish regulations provide a solid framework and guarantee that the process is carried out smoothly. Under the current rules, municipalities are only responsible for designating locations for charging points. The costs, installation, and operation are now entirely the responsibility of private companies.
The charging point on Kattenstraat was installed in 2012 and was one of the first in the wider area. The station belongs to Blue Corner. At the time, it was agreed that the municipality would pay the electricity costs.
In return, Blue Corner had to transfer 65% of the revenue from the station to the municipal treasury. That payment never came, and for more than a decade the municipality carried the full expense. Local authorities confirmed the error and called it a serious oversight.
