Offshore For Sure partners meet in Zeeland.

On 28 September 2026, Offshore For Sure (O4S) partners gathered at ZMf in Middelburg for their seventh partnership meeting. The meeting brought together project partners to review progress across the five demonstrations, discuss participation during ICOE OEE and advance collaboration on offshore renewable energy skills and policy harmonisation.

Progress across the five technology demonstrations

Partners shared updates on their technologies, highlighting technical improvements, ongoing testing and the challenges of bringing offshore renewable energy innovations closer to deployment.

• Water2Energy: The tidal turbine, installed on 15 September, is benefiting from improvements to its pitch control, blade connections and bearing monitoring.
• Oceans of Energy: The floating solar developer is preparing an extended harbour testing programme, with validation results informing future projects.
• Tocardo: Work on the digital twin is progressing, with 8 TB of data imported to support turbine monitoring, modelling and predictive maintenance.
• FLASC: Digital twin development and pilot commissioning continue, supporting the validation of its hydro-pneumatic energy storage technology.
• Dutch Wave Power: Installation and testing of the wave energy prototype remain challenging due to vessel availability, weather windows and permitting

Preparing for ICOE OEE 2026

The meeting also included a rehearsal of the PechaKucha presentations for the International Conference on Ocean Energy and Ocean Energy Europe (ICOE OEE), held in The Hague from 5–7 October.

Partners reviewed their presentations and exchanged feedback on how to communicate project results, barriers and future opportunities clearly to a broad audience.

O4S partners also prepared their contributions to the conference programme, including oral presentations, posters and technical excursions showcasing offshore renewable energy innovation.

Working towards more aligned policies

Turning promising technologies into commercially viable solutions requires more than technical progress. Investment, effective risk management, suitable regulatory frameworks and collaboration between technology developers, researchers and industry all play an important role.

The partnership continues to explore how its technical expertise and project experience can contribute to market readiness and support the wider adoption of offshore renewable energy. O4S partners discussed how the Netherlands and Belgium could better align the rules governing offshore renewable energy in areas such as marine planning, permitting and nature monitoring.

Building the skills needed for offshore renewables

Technology alone cannot drive the energy transition. The offshore renewable energy sector also needs a skilled workforce equipped to manage increasingly complex assets, digital systems and offshore operations.

During the meeting, O4S partners reviewed progress in education and training, focusing on strengthening cross-border cooperation and aligning skills development with the sector’s needs.

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Masterclasses bring industry and education together to develop practical knowledge in areas such as asset management, operational technology security, maintenance, digital twins and data analytics. Partners discussed progress with the masterclasses as part of O4S’s wider education and training activities.

They also discussed the Regional Skills Partnership on North Sea Offshore Renewable Energy (RSP), approved under the EU Pact for Skills in July 2026. Building on O4S, the partnership aims to connect industry, education and public authorities to coordinate training, share resources and better align skills development with labour-market needs across the Netherlands and Flanders. Learn more about the RSP.

Looking ahead

The meeting reinforced the importance of collaboration in addressing the technical, financial and regulatory barriers facing offshore renewable energy. As O4S moves towards its next milestones, partners will continue refining their demonstrations, sharing knowledge and developing practical recommendations to support the sector's growth across the Netherlands and Flanders.

Thank you to all partners for the good work and collaboration and special thanks to our partners at ZMf for hosting us!