Wacker Neuson helping to build world’s first energy island

The six-hectare Princess Elisabeth Island will serve as an energy hub from around the year 2030. Image: Wacker Neuson

The six-hectare Princess Elisabeth Island will serve as an energy hub from around the year 2030 and will provide a significant contribution to the sustainable energy supply in Europe.

The island is being erected on a total of 23 caissons (watertight retaining structures), which are being manufactured in the North Sea port Vlissingen in the Netherlands since by TM Edison, a joint venture of the Belgian companies DEME and Jan de Nul Group. Each caisson is approximately 60m long, 30m wide and 22m high.

The Wacker Neuson battery-converter backpack ACBe and various high-frequency internal vibrators IRFU were used in the consolidation of these concrete elements.

More than 120 powerful high-frequency internal vibrators IRFU are in use, ensuring consistently high and reliable consolidation during the days of work.

“Each caisson is poured 24 hours a day over seven to eight days. During this period, it is necessary to continuously consolidate the concrete. Wacker Neuson has found very good solutions for all our technical challenges,” says Matthias Liefooghe, Technical Superintendent Heavy Equipment, Jan de Nul/TM Edison. 

Initially estimated at €2.2 billion (US$2.3 billion), the budget for Princess Elisabeth Island was recently re-evaluated to around €7 billion (US$7.3 billion). Princess Elisabeth Island is part of the European strategy to reach 42.5% renewable energy by 2030.

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