Artificial islands could pop up along Belgian coastline

To build a group of artificial islands all along the Belgian coastline: That is the ambition of a group of Belgian companies and scientists represented by the international organisation Zeri. The islands, conceived under the working title Blue Cluster, would serve to protect the coast against storms.

Zeri brings scientists with ideas for sustainable business processes together with investors. “We want to build islands from the French border all the way to the Dutch border,” Zeri consultant Laurenz-Frederik Pauli told public broadcaster VRT, “to protect the coast and to revive the biodiversity in the North Sea.”

The resources of the North Sea can then be used for economic development, the organisation argues. Zeri is looking to involve the food industry, energy sector and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries in the Blue Cluster project.

Businesses could, for example cultivate mussels, algae, oysters, seaweed and scallops on the islands. These products can be used as healthy seafood but material for the chemical industry, which is interested in substances from algae, for example.

The islands can also be used to produce and store energy through solar panels, windmills, tidal energy technology and wave energy infrastructure. Zeri is in discussions with the mayors of coastal communities and several concerns such as dredging companies Jan De Nul and Deme, supermarket chain Colruyt and Sioen, which constructs textile sheets for growing seaweed.

Next year, the partners plan to present funding proposals to the government of Flanders.

Photo: Peter Casier/Flickr