The island will act as a hub for power transmission from the Princess Elisabeth Zone (the second Belgian offshore wind farm) to the Belgian mainland as well as the UK and Denmark.
The Princess Elisabeth Zone is a future 3.5 GW offshore wind farm located in the North Sea, 45 km off the Belgian coast. The energy generated by the wind turbines will be transmitted to the artificial island via submarine cables, and from there to the Belgian mainland and other European countries. This is the first such opportunity to combine DC and AC power – it is believed that the island’s hybrid interconnections will provide a more efficient transmission system.
Belgian power grid operator Elia recently announced that construction companies DEME Group and Jan De Nul Group have set up a joint venture, TM EDISON, to build the island. Work will begin in early 2024 and be completed by mid-2026. The island is expected to be fully connected to wind farms and the mainland by 2030.
The area allocated for the construction of the island’s electrical infrastructure is about 6 hectares – this is the equivalent of 12 football fields.
The energy island, which will be named Princess Elisabeth Island, plays an important role in achieving Belgium’s goals of using renewable energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The government of the country allocated a grant of more than $100 million for the project.
Source: Electric
