Belgian electricity transmission operator Elia Group SA (EBR:ELI) on Tuesday said it has awarded the contract for the construction of the world’s first artificial energy island to a Belgian consortium made up of Jan De Nul and DEME.
The consortium, called TM EDISON, won the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for the Princess Elisabeth Island in the Belgian part of the North Sea in a tender process that was launched in January 2022.
The energy island will be located about 45 km (30 miles) off the coast, within the 3.5-GW Princess Elisabeth wind zone. It will bring energy from the new offshore wind farms to the Elia onshore grid and will also connect Belgium to Great Britain and Denmark by means of additional interconnectors.
Elia said that after the award of the construction contract, the design of the island can now be completed. Construction is due to start in early 2024 and last until August 2026. The island, which will feature a small harbour and helicopter platform, will be built from concrete caissons filled with sand that will form its contours. The base of the island will be subsequently raised and prepared for the construction of the electrical infrastructure, Elia explained. The contracts for the high voltage infrastructure will be awarded at a later stage.
“This project is a pioneering one for several reasons. It is the most cost-effective and reliable way to bring offshore wind to shore. It will be an island that provides options for the future. When we connect it to other countries, the Princess Elisabeth Island will become the first offshore energy hub,” said Elia Group chief executive Chris Peeters.
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