The Princess Elisabeth artificial energy island, set to be completed in 2026, will provide vital infrastructure to transmit renewable energy produced from wind farms in the North Sea. Located 45 km from the Belgian coast in an offshore renewable energy production area, this marine power grid will distribute high voltage electricity in the form of direct current (HVDC) and alternating current (HVAC), incorporating renewable energy sources to power the Princess Elisabeth Area.
To create the artificial energy island, engineers used around 2.3 million m3 of sand. A team of 300 workers has been working on the construction site in Flushing, the Netherlands since September 2023. They have been busy building waterproof diving tanks, with each tank taking 3 months to complete. Each diving tank, made of concrete, is 57m long and nearly 30m wide and goes through a production process comprising 5 stages that take 20 days each to complete.
One of the most impressive stages is the sliding formwork stage, where a diving barrel wall is created with the wall growing nearly 10 cm higher every hour for 10 days straight. Once completed, the diving tank weighs 22,000 tons and will be transported by a semi-submersible vessel to its installation site in the North Sea for temporary storage underwater. The island’s construction is set to be completed in 2026, and electrical equipment installation will begin thereafter.
The European Union has provided funding for part of the construction of Princess Elisabeth Island as part of their efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote renewable energy solutions such as wind and solar power. As countries strive towards a cleaner future, large wind farms are being built in cold waters along European coasts to harness strong winds and increase power capacity, necessitating supporting infrastructure like Princess Elisabeth Island near Belgian wind farms.
Princess Elisabeth Island is expected to be operational by