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Conference to showcase the “NeSSIE approach”
Conference to showcase the “NeSSIE approach”
On 24th April, the NeSSIE project organised a conference in Brussels to showcase the NeSSIE approach in defining and developing investable business cases for offshore, anti-corrosion demonstration projects. The NeSSIE project has been funded by the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and developed through cooperation between regions participating in the ADMA Pilot.
Corrosion is one of the critical aspects of offshore projects. The definition of corrosion challenges, potential match to anti-corrosion solution (ACS) providers in the supply chain, and development of B2B partnerships to develop investable business cases for offshore renewable corrosion demonstrators were the objectives of the NeSSIE project. The commercialization of anticorrosion solutions to marine renewable assets is expected to provide new market opportunities for the industrial supply chain and create added value to the offshore industry at European level.
The conference focused on the “NeSSIE approach”, which can be utilised in other demonstration projects seeking funding support, as well as inform policy makers on supporting the development of demonstrators in the future. The target audience was a variety of industry actors, regional representatives, industry associations, cluster organisations, investment and funding bodies and permanent members of the European Parliament.
The conference opened with a description of the benefits of addressing corrosion and the whole process of engaging Project Development and ACS supply chain companies, defining and developing the investable business cases for these demonstrators. This was followed by a session on ACS in harsh offshore environments, before organisations from Scotland, Belgium and Basque Country described examples of offshore demonstration projects in these regions:
- Scotland – The Meygen Project: The world leading demonstrator for tidal energy with ambitions to demonstrate corrosion for tidal energy.
- Belgium – Innovative Business Network – Offshore Energy: The importance of clustering and need for test & demonstration in the offshore energy sector.
- Basque Country – HarshLab – First floating laboratory in Europe for testing in a real offshore marine environment.
The NeSSIE approach and the ACS which are effectively demonstrated could be replicated in other offshore facilities all around the world. The interregional cooperation shown through the Nessie partners is an example of best practice in how to facilitate cross-sector collaboration to explore new, well-defined market opportunities, providing solutions to the most ambitious challenges around the world.
Following an internal prioritisation exercise, in addition to the ongoing development of a demonstration case in sensing and remote monitoring activities, ADMA partners are now developing a series of further ideas for follow-on demonstration projects in areas such as power transfer in the sea, joining of large components in harsh environments, new materials and manufacturing methods for offshore components, and anchoring and mooring solutions. Any Vanguard Initiative member who is interested in the work of the ADMA Energy Pilot or in the demonstration cases can contact [email protected] and [email protected] for further information.