2024-04-23 19:31:00
Construction work has begun on Princess Elisabeth Island in the port of Vlissingen. This energy island must be an essential link in Belgium’s green energy supply.
It is in Vlissingen that marine contractors Jan De Nul and DEME are building the first caissons on the island on behalf of the high voltage network operator Elia. These caissons – huge concrete buildings – will form the foundation of the infrastructure.
The dimensions of these blocks are enormous: 57 meters long, 30 meters wide and high. Each copy weighs 22,000 tons. These elements are manufactured in several stages, for a total of 3 months each time. At the current rate, a block will leave the site every 17 days. They are first located in the port and then they will be taken to their final location, 45 kilometers from the Belgian coast.
In total there will be 23. The first one is almost finished and should be laid on the bottom of the North Sea this summer. If the schedule is respected, eight will be placed on the seabed this year, and the rest in 2025.
Once placed, the caissons will be filled with sand and the rest of the infrastructure will be built. The entire island should be completed by 2026, with wind turbines connected in 2028.
The DEME and Jan De Nul consortium has already done some work at sea. The bottom that will serve the island is leveled.
Energy for our country
Princess Elisabeth Island will be the world’s first energy island. It must supply our country with the energy of the numerous offshore wind farms installed in the North Sea, and not just its own.
Four years ago, the project budget was estimated at 2 billion euros in total: for the island, its infrastructure and all the necessary connections.
This is still a good deal for Belgian consumers
The total cost will be higher in the end, admits Elia Group interim CEO Catherine Vandenborre. The reason is inflation in the prices of basic building materials and inflation, driven by increased demand, for materials specific to wind power. It is currently impossible to estimate the surplus. This could be the case at the end of the year, according to Mr. Vandenborre. “But it’s still a good deal for Belgian consumers. It would be much more expensive to do nothing and continue to import expensive electricity“, she says.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Energy Minister Inne Van der Straeten and Secretary of State for Recovery and Strategic Investments Thomas Dermine went to take the blow of the site next Tuesday.
Princess Elisabeth Island
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