The artificial energy-island Princess Elisabeth is a world’s first. TM EDISON won the project in 2023 and starts the island’s construction in 2024. The works will take about 2.5 years to complete and raise a six-hectare island out of the sea, or the size of twelve football fields, 45 km off the coast of Ostend.
A hub to transform and transport energy
The North Sea has its busy shipping traffic, harsh weather conditions, and historical remains on the seabed. Still, it’s an excellent location for an artificial energy-island.
The Princess Elisabeth Island has a capacity of 3.5 GW renewable energy and is an important step for Belgium to achieve the European energy goals. It will transform the renewable energy produced by offshore wind farms, make connections to other national electricity grids, and monitor energy production.
A combination of our expertises
On the site location, we first conduct a thorough survey, to make sure all works can proceed safely and uninterrupted, without any unforeseen obstacles on the seabed. Afterwards, our trailing suction hopper dredgers level the sand and prepare the seabed for the next steps.
In the meantime, we construct the caissons that will form the outer ring of the island. The 23 armoured concrete blocks all have a size of 58 m long, 28 m high and 28 m width, with a weight of 20,000 tonnes apiece. The building process of the caissons takes place in Flushing and contains five major production steps. We start of with the bottom plate, on which we construct the walls. Next, we prepare the cable entries, the top plate is formed, and we add the storm walls. The whole process for a caisson takes up about 85 days, but thanks to the slide-through system with five workstations, five caissons can be in production at the same time.
While we’re working on the caissons, our rock installation vessel Simon Stevin places rocks on the seabed to serve as a firm foundation for the caissons. The caissons, which will form the contours of the island, are placed in a timespan of two years. During the stormy winter months, the works are temporarily suspended.
Once finished, we bring the 23 partially submerged caissons with tugboats to their final location at sea. Our dredging vessels fill the inside with sand, which makes the caissons sink further and take up their final position on the rock foundations. Around the caissons, we place scour- and toe protection to avoid damage during heavy storms.
Afterwards, we fill up the core of the island with sand and compact it. On the island, Elia will build the necessary electrical infrastructure.
We also provide the island with a small harbour with mooring berths for safe and smooth personnel transfers. The works are planned to finish in 2026.
An island focused on the future
The island is not only designed as part of the transition to renewable energy, we also provide other elements that prepare the energy-island for the future. During the design phase, we incorporated solutions for the marine ecosystem. Thanks to this ‘nature inclusive design’, we minimalised the impact of the island on its surroundings, such as the Natura2000 area nearby. Marine life will also find a safe haven there.
On top of that, the island has a modular design, so it can be dismantled at the end of its calculated lifecycle.
Want to help construct world's firsts?
Triggered by the Princess Elisabeth Island to support the energy transition? Check our jobsite for all open positions!
A high-profile project, an in-depth interview or a breathtaking report. Would you like to stay up to date with the ins and outs of Jan De Nul? Sign up and receive our interactive newsletter three times a year.
