The European Ocean Energy Association (EU-OEA) is the voice of the ocean energy sector at the European level. It is a non-profit association with a growing international membership of more than 70 of the world’s leading companies involved in wave, tidal, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), and salinity gradient energy technologies. Enjoying its strategic location at the heart of the European district in Brussels, it actively represents the interests of the sector through its regular contact with European institutions (European Commission, Parliament, Member States Permanent Representations, etc…). Furthermore, the association is actively engaged in promoting the development and use of these technologies through a mixture of policy, legislative, educational and communications activities.

The EU-OEA hosts conferences, workshops and site visits, providing members and legislators with the ability to monitor commercial developments, and to assess emerging technologies for their commercial readiness, relative competitive position, and deployment prospects. It also produces reports and publications in order to inform, promote and tackle issues that the European ocean energy sector faces today.

The association’s international conference features authoritative presentations from key stakeholders in the industry about a wide range of new technologies being deployed, and under development, worldwide, and an opportunity to participate in the informal professional network that the group supports. Site visits organized by the EU-OEA through its extensive contacts in member companies and their affiliates offer members access to innovative facilities worldwide, while workshops provide an opportunity for continuing education from technical experts.

Last but not least, the EU-OEA participates in or coordinates a number of European projects, which gives it a central position in the European ocean energy network, and provides it with first hand, state-of-the-art information on the policy, technology, and academic status of the sector.