Portugal and Canada team up for transatlantic marine renewables growth

Marine industry experts from Portugal and Canada are staging a special ‘blue economy’ conference to spark transatlantic business growth.

António Sarmento, WavEC President (Courtesy of WavEC Offshore Renewables)
A photo of António Sarmento, WavEC President (Courtesy of WavEC Offshore Renewables)
António Sarmento, WavEC President (Courtesy of WavEC Offshore Renewables)

WavEC Offshore Renewables has teamed up with the Embassy of Canada to Portugal to host ‘Advancing the Blue Economy through Intercontinental Collaboration’.

The two-day online event includes a world-class roster of speakers. They will share knowledge on floating offshore wind, alongside latest advances in wave power, floating solar, hydrogen and offshore aquaculture.

Updates will also be provided on pioneering marine renewable projects including WindFloat Atlantic, X1 Wind, HiWave-5 and Waveroller.

Panelists include EDP, Ocean Winds, Marine Renewables Canada, Hydrogen Optimized, Natural Resources Canada, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, CorPower Ocean, X1Wind, AW-Energy, Teamwork Technology and Aquazor, among others.

There is also an opportunity for delegates to gain direct access to headline speakers and other attendees through ‘Business 2 Business’ meetings.

António Sarmento, WavEC President, said: “We are thrilled to be staging this event with our Canadian colleagues where we can share our passion and global intelligence about the thriving blue economy.

“In the years to come, oceans will inevitably play an increasingly important role supporting global economic growth. However, if we don’t develop the right technology now to ensure sustainable development, it will have a devastating impact on the marine environment.

This Seminar is an opportunity to debate the challenges and opportunities associated with the development of new ocean technologies and also an opportunity for companies, research organisations and public administration to exchange views and get a better understanding of opportunities they can jointly address”.

Lisa Rice Madan, Ambassador of Canada to Portugal, said: “The Embassy of Canada to Portugal is delighted to be partnering with WavEC to deliver this world-class seminar. Building a sustainable ocean economy is both a global challenge and an opportunity, which is why it is important to have international panelists, including from Canadian organisations, share their expertise in the fields of marine renewable energy, ocean technologies, and fisheries and aquaculture.

“The diverse Canadian Blue Economy includes Canadian and foreign multinationals, major technology and service suppliers, small-to-medium-sized ocean technology enterprises, and some of the world’s preeminent ocean and marine scientists, engineers, and R&D facilities.

This breadth of activity means there is a large pool of potential partners for innovation, collaboration and investment, in particular with countries, such as Portugal, which value the vast potential of oceans while understanding the need to protect them”.

The event runs on 9 and 10 December, 2020.