Belgium is planning to build an artificial island, referred to as the 'ring island', off the coast of Belgium in the North Sea, to store offshore hydroelectric energy.
The project is expected to help the country reduce its dependence on nuclear power by 2025.
As per the plan, a three-kilometer-long, horseshoe-shaped island is proposed to be built off the northern coast near Zeebrugge with a 30m-deep reservoir at its center.
Pumped-storage hydro turbines installed at the open end of the island will give the project a 300MW capacity.
Belgium’s excess wind capacity will be employed to pump water from the interior of the horseshoe and into the sea and back, passing through the hydro turbine units, when needed.
The process will allow the island to function as a battery akin to conventional pumped-storage facilities.
Belgium North Sea minister Johan Lanotte’s spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying, "We have a lot of energy from the wind mills and sometimes it just gets lost because there isn’t enough demand for the electricity.
The project is currently undergoing feasibility studies, and if approved, is scheduled to be completed in the next seven years.