The SHINES project (Showcasing Hydrokinetic energy Innovations for Northwest European Energy Sovereignty) launches this week, bringing together 14 partners from France, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany. Co-financed by Interreg North-West Europe under the 4th call for projects, SHINES is set to unlock the potential of tidal and river energy systems, an opportunity still largely untapped in the region.
With a total budget of €10M, including 60% ERDF funding (€6M), this ambitious project led by OPEN-C Foundation will span from January 2025 to December 2028.
North-West Europe (NWE) is a prime location for tidal and river energy development, thanks to its unique natural features. Specific geomorphologic locations - gulfs, straits, islands, inlets, and spots along large rivers - offer promising conditions. Despite its potential, tidal and river energy in NWE requires further investment to overcome political, economic, and regulatory hurdles.
SHINES will address these challenges by replicating and scaling up three innovative solutions through Pilot Actions in France and the Netherlands. An Action Plan will also be implemented across more than 10 promising sites, engaging 100 organizations in the adoption of tidal and river energy systems.
NWE's wealth of expertise in water management, hydrodynamics, flow measurements, and innovative technologies such as RivGen, HydroWing, and TidalKite provides a solid foundation for progress. SHINES will catalyze transnational collaboration, enabling the region to consolidate efforts, quantify its energy potential, and drive investments to achieve generation capacity targets.
The project is aligned with Europe’s Net-Zero Strategy and the Critical Raw Materials Act, contributing to the goals of 1GW of ocean energy capacity by 2030 and 40GW by 2050. Ocean energy holds the promise of creating 400,000 high-value jobs by 2050, revitalizing coastal communities with histories rooted in the shipbuilding, fishing, and oil and gas industries.
Fondation OPEN-C involvement
The OPEN-C Foundation is the french offshore test centre for floating wind and marine renewable energy (MRE). It leverages over a decade of experience in derisking tidal and river energy technologies, through the development, operation, and maintenance of several real-sea test sites for a more rapid energy transition.
As project leader of the SHINES project, we're looking forward to the challenge of developing several tidal turbine projects, by leading the project and in particular by testing them at our 2 dedicated sites: Paimpol-Bréhat and SEENEOH. Committed with all partners to the development of tidal and river energy, we will dedicate all our transversal expertise to the SHINES project.
Project Partners:
| Fondation OPEN-C (Lead Partner)
| ORPC Ireland
| SeaQurrent
| Inyanga Tech
| Bretagne Développement Innovation
| Gemeente Ameland
| Amelander Energiecoöperatie
| Cerema
| Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau
| Haute Ecole Spécialisée de Suisse Occidentale
| Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
| ÉireComposites Teo.
| Foras na Mara – Marine Institute
| Université de Liège
