It is called Princess Elisabeth and will be the world’s first artificial energy island. It will extend about 45 kilometres off the Belgian coast and will occupy an area of about 6 hectares. The island will also have a small harbour and a helicopter pad to allow maintenance teams easy access to it.
Princess Elisabeth Island will be the world’s first artificial energy island to combine direct current (HVDC) and alternating current (HVAC). The high-voltage infrastructure will collect energy from the nearby Princess Elisabeth offshore wind farms, where a total new capacity of 3.5 GW will be activated by the end of 2026.
The project will allow all cables from present and future wind power facilities to converge, thus avoiding the costly laying of cables on the seabed. An excellent investment, as by 2050 the North Sea wind farms will produce 300 GW, which can be operated directly from Princess Elisabeth Island.
The EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction & Installation) contract was awarded to the TM Edison consortium and now the energy island finally has a clear timeline: construction of the island will begin in early 2024 and continue until August 2026. From 2026 to 2030, the electrical infrastructure will be built and put into operation.
Sources: renewables.co.uk