INESC TEC: Unlocking EU’s blue economy on Portugal’s coastline

As the European Union advances in its blue economy and energy transition goals, Portugal, particularly its Northern region, is emerging as a crucial player.

Engineering the EU’s Blue Economy

Portugal is positioning itself to become a leader in ocean engineering through coordinated national efforts and leveraging on a robust R&I ecosystem. This leadership is vital for Europe as it seeks to advance its blue and green economies in areas such as offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, shipping, fisheries, infrastructure development and monitoring, and deep marine resource exploration.

Portugal’s extensive Atlantic coastline holds outstanding untapped potential. National strategies have prioritised the sea as a driver of sustainability and economic growth, fostering the creation of “Blue Hubs” that catalyse regional development and build capacities to meet ocean-related market's growing demands. The sea is a top priority in the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, Smart Specialisation Strategies, and other innovation agendas, all contributing to the National Ocean Strategy.

Portugal’s commitment to sustainable ocean exploration is further reinforced by its proactive stance in establishing Technological Free Zones along its coast. These zones create safe environments for the development and validation of innovative technologies in real-world conditions, supporting Portugal in becoming a leader in ocean engineering.

Northern Portugal, with its cutting-edge ocean engineering research, is set to lead this sector, supporting the EU in meeting its sustainability targets. The health of the ocean, crucial for climate regulation, is deteriorating. Portugal, especially in its North region, is tackling this foundational challenge and multiple other ambitious sea-related opportunities through multidisciplinary innovation in robotics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and remote sensing. These advances are expected to increase productivity, sustainability, and efficiency across ocean-related industries, driving substantial investment and transformation.

Leading the Offshore Energy Revolution

As global energy needs rise, blue economy sectors – including shipbuilding, offshore platforms, and maritime infrastructures  – are becoming key to sustainable responses. Portugal is spearheading the energy transition with initiatives like the upcoming offshore energy tenders aiming for a 10GW installed capacity by 2030 through floating wind power plants along its coast. This significant move is crucial in reducing the EU’s reliance on fossil fuels, protecting the environment and reinforcing energy sovereignty.

The focus on offshore renewable energy is particularly strong in Northern Portugal. The region boasts the highest offshore wind and wave energy potentials, and its leadership in manufacturing industry enhances its role in the energy transition. Initiatives such as the Regional Innovation Valley in offshore renewable energy link its major coastal cities and deepen its innovation ecosystem.

INESC TEC, a key R&I player in this ecosystem, is leading flagship European projects and managing unique infrastructures that create a privileged environment for developing and validating offshore renewable energy systems. This includes hybrid technologies and energy vectors, aquaculture structures, and marine robotics. Access to an ocean basin, an offshore test site, and the geographically distributed TEC4SEA technological infrastructure offer unparalleled conditions for developing and testing technologies in harsh ocean environments.

INESC TEC is also enabling large-scale grid integration of offshore renewable energy and its associated new market opportunities. In collaboration with national organisations, it is developing new planning and operational procedures to integrate offshore renewable energy into the electric power system, researching system support services that these technologies provide, and opening new market opportunities and remuneration avenues for offshore power plant owners.

Portugal’s initiatives and technological advancements are indeed crucial to the EU’s goals for a sustainable blue economy. With its strategic Atlantic location and advanced ocean engineering capabilities, Northern Portugal is actively leading Europe’s charge towards a sustainable future.