On 25 May 2026, the Atlantic community met for the Joint Atlantic Pillar III & IV Webinar on Large-Scale Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) Innovation Deployment and the Environment.
The online event brought together 31 participants, speakers and stakeholders from across the Atlantic region, including representatives from SEAI, Wavec, CCMAR, DCEE, UCC, FEUP and INESC TEC, to discuss pathways for advancing the transition to marine renewable energy.
The webinar focused on the Atlantic transition to Marine Renewable Energy, addressing both deployment challenges and environmental considerations under Pillars III and IV of the Atlantic Action Plan.
A central conclusion of the webinar was that environmental readiness is a precondition for the deployment of large-scale marine renewable energy.
Speakers reinforced:
- Environmental considerations, such as early risk screening, evidence-based site planning, targeted monitoring and adaptive management, must be integrated from the outset of projects
- Addressing environmental aspects is essential to support consenting processes and public acceptance
- Planning of MRE projects must consider cumulative impacts at ecosystem and regional scale, rather than focusing only on individual developments
Cooperation, data and innovation
The discussions highlighted the importance of data, collaboration and innovation in supporting MRE deployment in the Atlantic:
- High-quality shared data and long-term monitoring were identified as key to reducing risks and supporting project implementation.
- There is a strong need for harmonised monitoring approaches across jurisdictions and enhanced cross-border cooperation to address transnational impacts
- Participants stressed the importance of integrating fisheries, conservation and energy planning at both national and Atlantic scales
Technological innovation also emerged as a common theme, including:
- Hybrid offshore solutions
- Storage and hydrogen for energy systems
- Real-time monitoring technologies such as drones and digital twins
These innovations were identified as having potential to support grid compliance and economic viability, while their environmental benefits depend on coordinated policy, standards and knowledge sharing across Atlantic Member States.
The event demonstrated strong engagement from both speakers and participants, with active contributions during the panel discussion and through the interactive tools used during the session.
“The environment is part of deployment readiness, and by complying with environmental concerns, we have the ability to increase and accelerate deployment.”
The webinar reaffirmed the importance of a coordinated approach to advancing marine renewable energy in the Atlantic, ensuring that environmental considerations, innovation and cross-border collaboration remain central to future development efforts.