The energy transition offers adventurous career opportunities.

Sustainable energy sources are indispensable for achieving climate targets. Elia, the Belgian high-voltage grid transmission system operator, is well aware of this. Onshore and offshore wind energy is part of the solution. “In the coming years, we are building an energy island that will guarantee the further expansion of offshore wind energy and will continue to provide our country with international connections,” says Geert Moerkerke of Elia.

At the end of last year, the Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministers of Energy and of the North Sea, approved the expansion of the Belgian modular offshore grid. Following the ‘plug at sea’ and the underwater Nemo Link—the high-voltage connection between Bruges and the British Richborough—there will soon also be an artificial energy island within the Princess Elisabeth zone. This is the next step for our country in developing an integrated European offshore grid.

What will be the function of this new energy island?

Geert Moerkerke (Offshore Operations & Maintenance Manager at Elia): “Offshore wind farms currently represent 2.1 GW of installed capacity in the North Sea. By 2030, this could become 5.6 GW, thanks to the construction of additional wind turbines and wind farms. But for this increased production capacity, you need a solution that optimally connects all these wind farms and efficiently brings their energy ashore. You can compare it to a highway that we provide and maintain for wind energy producers. The energy island also emphasizes our country’s leadership in offshore electricity.”

How will the energy island be realized?

Geert Moerkerke: “The project is in full development. The delivery of the island, without the high-voltage installations and cables, is planned for 2026. We will then work on the high-voltage infrastructure. After testing and the final commissioning, the island will of course also need to be maintained. That is crucial, as it ensures optimal functioning under all circumstances and allows the installations to achieve their intended lifespan. We already have many years of pioneering experience with this. Today, for example, we ensure the proper operation and maintenance of the Offshore Switchyard, or OSY—also known as the ‘plug at sea.’”

What role does the so-called ‘plug at sea’ play?

Geert Moerkerke: “It’s really a huge power strip for offshore wind turbines that helps us transport energy. Specifically, the OSY connects four wind farms: Rentel, Seastar, Mermaid, and Northwester 2. It channels the combined energy from these parks to shore through shared subsea cables. The OSY is part of the Modular Offshore Grid, or MOG. It was built as a platform at sea. Thanks to the MOG, renewable energy is optimally integrated into the Belgian electricity grid. The new energy island, which will still be built, will further expand this capacity—that’s why we call it MOG-II.”

How often do engineers and technicians go to the MOG site?

Geert Moerkerke: “On average, once a week. Depending on the weather conditions, we travel by boat or by helicopter. It’s about an hour to seventy-five minutes by boat from Ostend. Once on site, our people put on climbing gear to board. By helicopter it’s quicker—it takes about fifteen minutes. The downside is that you can take fewer people, tools and parts at once by air. If the weather is too bad for an immediate return, our team members can stay for a few hours at the MOG in complete comfort. Or, in extreme cases, they can spend the night there—with a sea view, of course (laughs).”

What kind of people or profiles is Elia looking for to carry out these tasks?

Geert Moerkerke: “People who are passionate about technology and engineering, who want to do socially relevant work, who value sustainability, and who have an adventurous streak. No two working days are the same. And I know very few engineering jobs where people work on land, at sea, and in the air. Our department currently has about fifteen employees. In the coming years, and especially due to the construction of the new energy island, we want to double that number. People work here in multidisciplinary teams: everyone has their own area of expertise. We are not specifically looking for engineers with a particular offshore specialization—Elia provides the necessary training to work with offshore installations, including the required certified safety courses.”

How technically challenging is it to transport electricity from sea to land?

Geert Moerkerke: “It involves a great deal of collaboration and interaction. These cables are not only useful for bringing electricity ashore, but also for exchanging energy between Belgium and other countries. For example, when there are strong winds in Scotland or Ireland and little wind here, we can import the wind energy produced there. Or the reverse: we can export our electricity from the coast to neighboring countries.”

Are there any other challenges?

Geert Moerkerke: “The unpredictability of the sea, for example. The sea is a wild beast that cannot be tamed. Offshore installations have to endure a lot. They must withstand high waves, strong currents, and storms. So, the design criteria for these installations are very strict. And for our people, working at sea is adventurous—but that’s actually something that attracts them; they are doing something unique.”

Wind energy is unpredictable; what solutions are being considered today for electricity storage?

Geert Moerkerke: “Wind energy must be consumed almost immediately after it is produced. Energy storage will become increasingly important in the coming years. As grid operator, Elia is very much engaged in this. Storing energy helps to make the grid more stable by reducing or optimizing the imbalance between energy supply and demand. We do not build storage installations ourselves, because producing electricity is not part of our activities, but we are looking into how we can, for example, integrate installations that convert wind energy into green hydrogen into the high-voltage grid.”

How do you see wind energy evolving in the coming years?

Geert Moerkerke: “Wind turbines, together with solar panels and hydropower plants, are among the most important solutions for generating sustainable energy. The potential of offshore wind turbines is particularly great. At sea, we can build much larger installations than on land, the wind is much stronger there, and it allows us to easily import and export energy to and from other countries. In 2021, wind farms in the Belgian North Sea supplied green electricity to almost 2 million Belgian households. In a few years, this will more than double. Offshore wind energy is definitely here to stay.”