Princess Elisabeth - the world's first artificial energy island
The team at HSEQ-360 Limited have been very busy on various projects, locally, nationally and across Europe from our Norfolk and Nottinghamshire bases. Norfolk, because of its geographic? isolation, sometimes feel like an island. With it having rivers like the Yare, Wensum and Waveney running through various parts of it, along with the coastline, it does in fact have islands.
Islands in the sea
Out at sea, there is of course the landmark of Scroby Sands (technically, we know, a sandbank) which stands with 30 wind turbines producing 60 MW of green energy. Close too (without the turbines) is Cobholm Island and further up the coast, there is Scolt Head Island. This is a barrier island off the coast of North Norfolk, just 4km long, made up of sand, shingle, salt marsh, mud flats, and dunes.
Great Britain has thousands of islands
Let’s not forget either that Great Britain is made up of two large islands (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
In fact, and this fact surprised us, there are 6,289 islands here, mostly in Scotland.
Escape from Alcatraz?
Other famous global islands include Alcatraz, renowned for its prison. This was opened for military offenders in 1861, off the coast of San Francisco, closing in 1963. It is a major tourist attraction now.
Belgium - not just beer and chocolate
Away from island trivia, one significant news items caught the HSEQ-360 Limited’s team’s keen eyes this week: the creation of an “artificial energy island” in the EU, created by the Elia Group. It is called regally, the Princess Elisabeth Island, with its name befitting something so new.
First some facts about Princess Elisabeth Island:
650 million euros earmarked by the EIB
This has all cost a lot of money - 650 million Euros to be exact, and this has been funded via a green credit facility agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB), with signing off taking place, this week, in the Netherlands.
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Princess Elisabeth Island becomes fully operational in 2027
The Princess Elisabeth energy island will take 3 years to become fully operational - with first energy outputs anticipated in 2027.
The EIB vice-president Robert de Groot said:
“The Princess Elisabeth Island project is a cornerstone for enhancing Belgium’s and Europe’s energy security and independence.
“This initiative not only strengthens Belgium’s energy infrastructure but also fosters vital interconnections with neighbouring countries, thereby promoting increased regional cooperation.
“By investing in this project, the EIB and Elia are deepening the European power market and paving the way for a sustainable, more secure and resilient energy future for all European citizens.”
We applaud this groundbreaking wind farm initiative and hope it will pave the way for more artificial energy islands, globally and across the UK.
Who knows?
One day, we may all be walking along coastlines and beaches, looking seaward, and admiring the technological innovations of marine engineers in constructing artificial energy islands and floating wind farms.
How HSEQ-360 Limited can help your offshore company
HSEQ-360 Ltd utilise a team with wide ranging skills, competencies and experiences; including chartered engineers, chartered health and safety and chartered quality professionals. HSEQ-360 can certainly review your company’s operations and management systems and implement sustainability strategies which are reasonable and practicable for your business.
We operate a management system which is certified to ISO9001, ISO14001 & ISO45001; and we are specialists in developing bespoke management systems for your business. We can complete an environmental impact on your behalf and can provide practical recommendations on how to proceed environmentally.
For further information, please visit our website, follow our active LinkedIn channel, or contact a member of the team on [email protected]