World’s First Artificial Energy Island to be Built by Jan De Nul – DEME Consortium 45km off Belgian Coast

The Belgian consortium TM EDISON (Jan De Nul and DEME) has been awarded the EPCI contract for the construction of the world’s first artificial energy island for the Elia Group. The construction of the foundations of the Princess Elisabeth Island will begin in early 2024 and will last 2.5 years. After that, the installation of the high-voltage infrastructure can be started. The latter will be necessary for bringing the electricity from Belgium’s future offshore wind zone to shore.

The island will also be the first building block of an integrated European offshore electricity grid that will connect various hubs and countries together. For instance, Belgium wants to build additional joint interconnections with Great Britain and Denmark. These will give access to the massive amounts of renewable energy that are needed to make the industry less dependent on fossil fuels in the short term.

courtesy of Elia Group

The tender process for the island started in January 2022. Elia received multiple bids from companies based in Belgium and abroad. On the basis of the defined criteria, the Belgian consortium TM EDISON emerged as the winner. Elements such as technical quality and commercial and contractual conditions played a significant role. Attention to safety also played a decisive role. In addition to a specialised fleet, DEME and Jan De Nul hold experience and expertise in the field of dredging, land extension, coastal protection and civil engineering.

The Princess Elisabeth Island will be the world’s first artificial energy island that combines both direct current (HVDC) and alternating current (HVAC). The island’s high-voltage infrastructure will bundle the wind farm export cables of the Princess Elisabeth zone together, whilst also serving as a hub for future interconnectors with Great Britain (Nautilus) and Denmark (TritonLink). These are so-called ‘hybrid interconnectors’ that have a dual function and are therefore more efficient. They facilitate the exchange of electricity between countries and are also connected with gigantic offshore wind farms in the North Sea that will in due course provide our country with large volumes of renewable energy.

Over the coming year, Royal HaskoningDHV will work with TM Edison to prepare the detailed design for Princess Elisabeth Island. Building on their experience, and the basis for the design produced during the tender process, Royal HaskoningDHV will refine the design ready for construction to start.

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Princess Elisabeth Island (courtesy of Royal HaskoningDHV)

Source Elia, Jan De Nul, DEME , Royal HaskoningDHV