Jan De Nul has completed the installation of all 23 foundation elements for Princess Elisabeth Island, the world’s first artificial energy island, located 45 kilometers off the Belgian coast. This marks the project’s transition into the next construction phase, as stated by the company.
Developed by Belgium grid operator Elia Group, the project is being built by TM Edison, a consortium including DEME and Jan De Nul. The installation of caissons, forming the island’s outer walls, began in April last year with the submersion of concrete structures at the site.
The offshore campaign for 2025 finished in October and resumed this spring with the installation of final caissons, while preparing the island’s interior. Jan De Nul reported in January that all 23 caissons had been fabricated.
Each caisson weighs around 22,000 tonnes and measures 58 meters in length, 28 meters in width, and between 23-32 meters in height, depending on a storm wall. They were constructed in Vlissingen, engaging approximately 300 workers daily.
The island’s design includes nature-friendly features, such as new oyster reefs. “Through the Reefcovery project, we collaborated to grow young oysters on rocks, installed around the island in July. The rocks prevent erosion and create new oyster habitats, leveraging our expertise in North Sea oyster reef restoration,” stated Bart Callens, Project Director at Jan De Nul.
With the foundation complete, the next phase involves reclaiming the island with sand inside the caisson structure. Cable connections to the mainland will be laid in 2027 and 2028, with electrical infrastructure installation slated for 2029.
The project is set for completion in 2031, when the energy island will begin delivering electricity ashore. Princess Elisabeth Island will act as a critical hub, transporting at least 2.1 GW of offshore wind energy from the Princess Elisabeth Zone to the mainland.
This will be the first artificial energy island globally to combine both direct (HVDC) and alternating current (HVAC). Its high-voltage infrastructure will integrate electricity cables from the wind farms in the zone.
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