Momentum for ocean energy on Ocean Energy Europe 2025

As usual, it had United Kingdom (including Wales and Scotland) the had the largest delegation, followed by Belgium, Netherlands the , Germany , France and Spain . . There were also smaller but important delegations from the VS , Ireland , Norway , Sweden and Denmark . . The rest of the world was also represented – from Japan and Australia to Barbados, the Faroe Islands, Georgia and Iceland – which demonstrates how international the ocean energy community is.

The event started with a Welcome Reception in Scotland House, followed by an informal dinner of Dutch organizations as Equinox, WECO, Bluespring, Campus@Sea, DMEC, and Teijin Aramide gathered.

The first day was dedicated to leading developers of HydroQuest, Proteus, SeaTurn and CorPower, in addition to sessions on financing innovation and industrial growth. Keynote speeches from Pierre Vogt, Région Normandie and Costas Kadis (European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans) stressed Europe’s strong commitment to Ocean Energy , with reference to the upcoming Ocean Act (expected in 2026), which is intended to Sustainable use of our oceans and marine energy. further stimulate.

In the afternoon the results of the EuropeWave programme Phase 3 were the cooperation of presented – with the cooperation of Mocean (UK), CETO (AU) and IDOM (ES) – followed by discussions about net flexibility, and leases learnt from testing sites.

On the second day were held sessions on Developing Business Cases ,Risk reduction and demonstrations of tidal energy technology (by Orbital, Minesto, Meygen, ORPC, NOVA, Inyanga and Magallanes) and wave energy technology (by CETO, WaveOp, Havkraft). The sessions were concluded with a "Captains of Industry" panel from the sector on accelerating industrialization of ocean energy in Europe of.

Dutch contributions were visible throughout the program. WECO, DMEC and Slow Mill stood on the stage, while EWA, DeRegt, SeaQurrent, Bluespring, Campus@Sea Equinox, Slow Mill, DMEC and Symphony were well represented on the exhibition floor.

The Vi Maris (“Strength of the Sea”) price went to Guillaume Gréau , Development Director at HydroQuest , for its role in the development of tidal energy and commercial projects in France.

It Innovation Fund in has announced that the next call for proposals on two weeks, with a total budget of opens, with a total budget of €40 billion to 2030. do well within the programme: of Ocean energy continues to do well within the program: from the 359 applications to date to this day 61 were financed, including , including 11 pilot projects, of which 5 involved ocean energy.

The session "Building the Business Case" emphasized the need for a clear Risk Analysis , blended funding and the importance of Public Funds . . Investors called for innovative Insurance Constructions , Certification and Long-term policy certainty to raise capital. Venture capitalists (VCs) reminded the public that they rarely invest in the R&D phase but are looking for exceptional teams and tangible milestones. Impact Funds want revenue guarantees, while institutions such as the EIB emphasized Transparency and shared responsibility in project development.

A good example came from Yago Torre-Enciso (BiMEP) , who shared his four T's:

• Take the time – ‘test in November instead of May’

• Trust Test Centres – they have seen it all

• Involve External Talent

• Find support in the (IEC) Technical Specifications

Partners POM and OPEN-C were present at OEE 2025, along with Lina and myself on behalf of Campus@Sea. During the session "From Tank to Ocean" presented Ewout Vandorpe it Blue Accelerator- test platform, moderated by Marlene Kiersnovski of OPEN-C . . During the conference we met at TRL 4–5 many technology developers who showed interest in testing through Offshore Proof – which shows that the demand for real-world validation and accredited testing facilities in Europe is growing rapidly.

During OEE 2025 in Brussels were the Offshore For Sure partners — Tocardo, Ghent University, IMDC and Bluespring were actively present. They took notes on the latest policy tools and market trends and promoted the — actively present. They took notes on the latest policy tools and market trends and promoted the research and technical support of UG, IMDC and Bluespring to. A special on Ocean Literacy at our exhibition stand presented the dedicated panel on our exhibition stand presented the online courses of the consortium, who could count on considerable interest from all over the world.

Keith Murray en David Campbell (Tocardo), Anil Sudhakar (Gent Universiteit), Thomas Weygaerts en Luca Barbetti (IMDC), en Peter Scheijgrond en Lina Laar (Bluespring)

For EWA , Bluespring , Offshore For Sure and Offshore Proof was OEE 2025 more than just a networking event – it was a confirmation that our joint focus on testing, certification and smart business cases is the direction the sector is heading. The talks in Brussels showed a clear shift towards upscaling, building confidence among investors and industrialising the European supply chain.

Luc Hogervorst, Erwin Meijboom, Matthijs Soede, Remi Gruet, Peter Scheijgrond

ICOE OEE 2026 in The Hague

And there's even more to look forward to: the next big milestone is ICOE-OEE 2026 , from 5 to 7 October 2026 in The Hague , proudly organized by EWA (Energy from Water Association) in cooperation with Ocean Energy Europe . . So put it in your agenda: next year the global sector will come to the Netherlands!