Princess Elisabeth Antarctica

The finished building on the Utsteinen ridge

In 2004, the Belgian government decided to support the IPF's initiative to design and construct a new "Zero Emission" research station in Antarctica. The Princess Elisabeth Station became operational during the International Polar Year.

Belgium has a long history of scientific activity in Antarctica, dating back to the first over-wintering of De Gerlache onboard the Belgica in 1897, from which the Belgian Antarctic Expedition returned with an important scientific harvest: bathymetrical and hydrological soundings, numerous botanical and zoological samples, a large amount of oceanographical, meteorological, geomagnetic, glaciological and geological observation data.

Edit: A dedicated website is now available for this project, please consult it for more information.

Belgium next returned to the Antarctic sixty years later to build the King Baudouin Station which operated until 1967. This was part of Belgium's celebrating the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year (IGY), a key event for international scientific collaboration which led to the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.

Aiming for "zero emission"

The International Polar Foundation will use the development and construction process to pursue its objectives: to educate and inform on polar research, climate change and sustainable development. Sponsors and technology partners were sought to equip the station with cutting-edge materials and technologies. Materials and technologies selection are according with eco-construction principles, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of establishing the new base. Renewable energy sources are being used to meet most energy requirements. Complying with the “Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty”, wastewater treatment methods have been studied to determine the most effective treatment methods to minimize environmental contamination.

After the station's construction, a Polar Secretariat will establish a legal basis for managing the Station, carrying out research activities (in partnership with the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office) and promoting scientific findings related to research carried out around the station. Composed of an equal number of members from both the public and the private sectors (with the members from the private sector coming from the International Polar Foundation), the Polar Secretariat will be established as the entity for managing legal, financial and administrative questions related to the Princess Elisabeth Station. The IPF will be the official Antarctic operator for all matters related to logistics, technical, safety and general operations at and around the Princess Elisabeth Station.