- 10:00 Welcome - Christophe Dhaene (BOC)
- 10:05 Opening Speech - John Crombez (Mayor Ostend)
- 10:20 Theme Speech - Björn Crul (Moderator)
Challenges for Offshore Grids
Offshore wind energy will bring a key contribution to reaching the objectives of the EU Green Deal. The integration of 300 GW offshore wind generation capacity into the energy system by 2050 raises new challenges for the European transmission system operators and more specifically for their offshore grids. Through the EU Grid Action Plan, ENTSO-E’s and national TSOs’ plans reveal an increasing focus on offshore grid expansion.
The following topics will be tackled by relevant speakers of offshore substation builders and transmission energy experts:
- 10:30 - Offshore energy hubs and coordinated grid development - David Zenner, Chief Assets Officer, ELIA (BE)
- 10:50 - How to build the North and Baltic Sea Meshed Grids in Europe - Eric Finé, Head of Business Development Offshore, Smulders (BE)
- 11:10 - Governance and responsibilities - Clara Semal, Director for European Offshore Developments, National Grid (UK)
- 11:30 - Financing and costsharing - Maurice Dierick, Executive Director for European Affairs, RTE (FR)
- 11:50 - Regulation and standardization across borders - Johannes von Schkopp, Head Grid Planning and System Integrity, Tennet (DE)
In a concluding panel debate, TSOs of different European countries will discuss these operational challenges, best practices, and innovations in grid expansion and modernization.
Full Session Details:
- 14:00 - Optimized prediction and decision support for rain erosion and lightning-driven degradation of blades (Rainbow) - Pieter Mathys (VKI)
- 14:12 - Vessels on hydrogen or methanol - findings from the CHyPS and FASTWATER projects - Sebastian Verhelst (Ghent University)
- 14:24 - An adaptive Marine and River Cleaner (MARC) for plastic waste - Theofano Koutrouveli (IMDC)
- 14:36 - Installation and decommissioning of screw anchors for offshore aquaculture - Phara Cockaert (Jan De Nul)
- 14:48 - Closing the Loop: Lifecycle Sustainability Assessment & Circular Transition in Offshore Wind - Chris Blommaert (Parkwind)
- 15:00 - The potential of Nature-Inclusive Design in scour protection (JIP SPREE) - An Stroobandt (RWE)
- 15:12 - North C Neutralizer, an optimisation model to optimize marine spatial planning on seabed level. - Emile Lemey (Mantis Consulting)
- 15:30 Closing - Piet Opstaele & Networking (booth 255)
More information about the Innovation Forum by Blue Cluster can be found here.
12 & 13 
