General – Energy Island
Jan De Nul and DEME (TM Edison) are marking an important milestone for the Princess Elisabeth Island: the last concrete structure has been constructed and successfully floated in Vlissingen.
With this final caisson completed, construction works at the Vlissingen yard are finished. In total, 23 massive concrete caissons were built, thanks to the dedication and work of DEME and Jan De Nul, on behalf of Elia Belgium.
The caissons are now at the Scaldia terminal for their final finishing works.
This spring, offshore installation of the remaining caissons resumes in the North Sea, alongside continued works to prepare the island’s interior.
The installation of the caissons started in April last year, when the first two of 23 concrete structures were submerged at the energy island’s site, 45 kilometres off the Belgian coast.
The offshore installation campaign for 2025 was completed in October last year and will resume this spring with the installation of the remaining structures, alongside continued works to prepare the island’s interior.
Once completed, the island, located 45 km off the Belgian coast, will connect offshore wind farms and serve as an energy hub for interconnectors.
Each of the caissons, which form the outer walls of the future island, weighs approximately 22,000 tonnes and measures 58 metres in length, 28 metres in width, and between 23 metres and 32 metres in height, depending on the presence of a storm wall.
The Princess Elisabeth Island will serve as a key connection point for transporting at least 2.1 GW of offshore wind energy generated in the Princess Elisabeth Zone to the mainland.
