Looking back and moving forward: Five technologies, shared challenges and the path to deployment
Ocean energy is ready to move beyond demonstration, but what will it take to scale up? On 6 October 2026, the Offshore For Sure partnership brought together technology developers, researchers, industry representatives and policymakers at ICOE OEE 2026 to explore how cross-border collaboration can accelerate ocean energy deployment across Flanders and the Netherlands.
Offshore For Sure (O4S) | 06/10/2026
Opening the session
Peter Scheijgrond, Bluespring, welcomed participants, project partners and representatives of the Interreg programme. He opened the session by introducing Offshore For Sure and showing a video highlighting the project’s objectives, its five technology demonstrations and the collaborative work taking place across the border.
Madelon Kunst, Project Adviser at Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland, followed with a perspective on the role of European cooperation programmes in advancing ocean energy innovation. She highlighted the importance of supporting projects like Offshore For Sure to help technologies progress towards demonstration and deployment. She also announced that the first call under a new programme would be launched, creating further opportunities to support collaborative projects.
Showcasing results: five technologies, one cross-border ecosystem
Over the past three years , Offshore For Sure has supported the development and demonstration of five ocean energy technologies, bringing together technology developers, researchers, industry representatives and other key stakeholders across the Netherlands and Flanders.
At the session, short, visual PechaKucha-style presentations showcased the progress made by the technology developers , highlighting their achievements, practical lessons and remaining challenges. Additional contributions explored future skills needs, opportunities for industry collaboration and the steps needed to bring ocean energy technologies closer to commercial deployment.
Presentations
Reinier Rijke – Water2Energy: Vertical-Axis Tidal Turbine
Ozlem Ceyhan Yilmaz – IMDC
Sten Swanenberg – Dutch Wave Power: Wave Energy Device
Efrain Carpintero Moreno – Ghent University
Lotte Holvast – Oceans of Energy: Offshore Floating Solar
Wim Somers – Ecopower
Jochem Vermeer – Parkwind
Daniel Buhagiar – FLASC: Offshore Energy Storage
Jeroen Verschelling – World-Class Maintenance
Cross-border collaboration matters
Contributions from all presenters from both the Netherlands and Belgium broadened the discussion, bringing additional perspectives on the sector and the challenges of moving towards deployment.
One message came through clearly: cost-effectiveness and regulatory feasibility are just as important as technical feasibility. A device that works at sea is only part of the job. Developers also need to get it permitted and show a credible route to a business case.
Another important theme was the opportunity to create more value from offshore space through multi-use — combining different activities and technologies at sea. Closer integration could help make better use of marine space and infrastructure, but it also raises questions about planning, regulation and how these shared activities can be supported. The discussion highlighted the need for clearer policy direction in the Netherlands, including greater clarity on objectives for co-use of offshore space.
Together, the presentations showed why cross-border collaboration matters: it connects technology developers with the expertise, industry partners and wider ecosystem needed to address these challenges. By sharing lessons and exploring opportunities across technologies and sectors, Offshore For Sure has helped build a stronger foundation for the next stage of ocean energy development.
Addressing the barriers to scale
The session continued with a panel discussion chaired by Peter Scheijgrond (Bluespring), representing the Dutch energy-from-water sector, with Thomas Peutz (Aquius Capital), representing investors and Bart van Schooten (Netherlands Enterprise Agency - RVO)) representing the Dutch government.
The discussion focused on the conditions needed to move from
prototypes and pilots to commercial deployment. While technology
development and private investment are progressing, a clearer policy
framework is essential to give developers the confidence to scale up.
Targeted support during the demonstration phase, alongside more
predictable permitting and spatial planning, could help turn
promising pilots into bankable projects.
The panel also highlighted the Netherlands' strong starting position, with its extensive water infrastructure, world-class test facilities and established expertise in offshore and marine technologies. A clearer national strategy for energy from water would help translate these strengths into domestic deployment and long-term industrial opportunities. The Flach/Grinwis motion in the Dutch parliament already asks the government for exactly that, with a report due in early 2027.
A joint call to action
The session concluded with a clear message to policymakers and funders in both regions: the next step is to create the conditions for deployment.
This means establishing a clear policy direction, enabling technologies to be tested under real-world conditions, and involving policymakers, industry and investors from the outset. Continued cross-border collaboration will also be essential to share knowledge, address common challenges and build a stronger route to market.
Offshore For Sure has helped lay the groundwork by bringing technologies, expertise and stakeholders together across the border. The challenge now is to turn that progress into deployment — creating the right conditions for ocean energy technologies to move from promising pilots to commercially viable solutions.
Watch the video below for an impression:
