Princess Elisabeth Energy Island in the North Sea

The Belgium Putzmeister dealer MMB Machines has contributed to a pioneering project by supplying Putzmeister products. Two electric driven Putzmeister stationary concrete pumps BSA 1408 E and two Putzmeister stationary placing booms MX 35-4 , mounted on lattice towers, with a reach of 35m are currently being used in Vlissingen for the construction of the caisson for the Princes Elisabeth energy island , located in the North Sea. This six-hectare artificial  island is the world's first energy island and is being built 45 km seaward off the coast of Ostend using caissons.

The Princess Elisabeth Energy Island will be the first man-made energy island in the european North Sea, about 45 km off the Belgian coast, to concentrate electricity from offshore wind turbines and provide an important link to the Nautilus (UK) and TritonLink (Denmark) offshore power lines. The BSA 1408 E is the ideal combination with the MX 35-4 placing boom with its 110 kW environmental friendly electric motor and an  theoretical output of 79 m³ per hour at a concrete delivery pressure of 71 bar (both data rod side).

This prestigious project has been entrusted to two renowned Belgian hydraulic engineering companies, Jan De Nul and Deme. The caissons have impressive dimensions of 58m length, 28m width and around 20m height, weighing around 20,000 tons per element. In total, about 165,000 m³ of concrete will be poured for the construction of these monumental elements. Once finished, the island will then consist of a ring of these concrete caissons filled with sand.

To complete this challenging task, two concrete batching plants are set up on the quay in Flushing. After casting and transporting the floor slab, rebar is placed for eight to ten consecutive days, 24 hours a day, and concrete is poured continuously using a sliding formwork that is lifted 8 to 10cm per hour. 

Our stationary Putzmeister concrete pumps pressurise the concrete, while the Putzmeister placing boom accurately pours the concrete into the formwork. The most remarkable thing about this operation is that our supplied concrete pumps and placing booms are electrically powered and completely CO2 neutral. 

Once the elements reach their height, they are moved for further finishing. The elements are then immersed and towed to their destination in the North Sea, off the coast of Ostend. 

Putzmeister and the Putzmeister dealer MMB Machines are thus playing an important role in this innovative project, which is making an important contribution to the future of renewable energies. We look forward to further co-operation and future challenging projects.