The ‘Princess Elisabeth Island’ in the North Sea at almost 45km off the Belgian coast will serve as a link between wind farms in the country’s second offshore wind zone – which will have a maximum capacity of 3.5GW – and its onshore high-voltage grid on land.“By quadrupling offshore wind capacity by 2040, we will reinforce our energy independence, reduce our energy bills and reduce our CO2 emissions.”The government has asked the European Commission to approve its plan to support the energy island with about €100m ($99.38m) from Belgium’s post-Covid-19 recovery plan.The energy island will occupy an area of approximately five hectares above the waterline, but save maritime space as it will bundle electricity from future offshore wind farms to be transmitted to shore (in part) via 60km of direct current cables.Surveillance against sabotageBelgium’s North Sea minister Vincent Van Quickenborne also mentioned security aspects regarding the planned marine infrastructure, following the alleged attacks on the North Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea.“Following the acts of sabotage inflicted on the North Stream gas pipelines, it has become more crucial than ever for us to protect such critical infrastructure from sabotage and attacks,” Van Quickenborne said."