Three tidal developers, Orbital Marine Power, SABELLA and Sustainable Marine Energy (SME), have joined forces as a Tidal Alliance at OEE2020.
The Tidal Alliance is the result of industry players believing in the potential of the sector to be both a climate-friendly solution and an economic opportunity.
Ocean Energy Europe CEO Rémi Gruet highlighted the significance of these three companies coming together to support the sector and its annual event.
Rémi Gruet said: “ Tidal continues to make enormous strides both in innovation and in its exponential power production, generating 50% more in 2019 than the year before. Investing in ocean energy today will pay dividends in the future, helping build a carbon-neutral energy system and creating jobs and opportunities in a new, robust, home-grown industry.”
The OEE Conference and Exhibition will be held in Brussels in December.
Andrew Scott , CEO of Orbital Marine Power, said: “ We are delighted to be combining efforts with industry colleagues to bring the OEE annual conference to Brussels. The ever-increasing momentum and success our industry is generating is in very large part due to the alignment with the European Commission, so it is brilliant to be able to reinforce those bonds in the heart of the EU whilst showcasing the leaps forward we’re making as a sector. ”
SABELLA’s commercial director, Jean-Christophe Allo , singled out the continued importance of funding, and stressed the work is not yet finished: “ Continuous work from OEE helps us to identify and secure the support of EU and national funds to progress in innovation, reliability and cost reduction of our turbines.”
Jean-Christophe also spoke about cooperation, particularly within the sector itself: “ We will all succeed together, promoting blue energy and improving our devices. The future of tidal energy will only be realised through increased collaboration between major players. We deeply believe in this statement. That’s why we are thrilled to participate in the Tidal Alliance and strengthen teamwork. ”
Sustainable Marine Energy’s managing director Jason Hayman added: “ We are very excited to be part of the Tidal Alliance and support Ocean Energy Europe’s annual conference. We, and the other members of the Tidal Alliance have demonstrated that the technology can deliver. Sustainable Marine Energy is delivering the first commercial array in Canada, using technology developed and supplied by a number of European companies.”
Hayman highlights how crucial this is, particularly in this period of economic recovery: “ We are looking forward to meeting with policy makers, regulators and industry partners, and showcasing the role that tidal energy can play in a more resilient clean energy future, as well as the contribution it can make to rebuilding our economies as we recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic .”