About OES

The Ocean Energy Systems Implementing Agreement (OES) is an intergovernmental collaboration between countries, which operates under framework established by the International Energy Agency in Paris.

The Ocean Energy Systems Implementing Agreement (OES) was launched in 2001. The need for technology cooperation was identified in response to increased activity in the development of ocean wave and tidal current energy in the latter part of the 1990’s and the beginning of this decade, primarily in Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom. These three countries were the inaugural signatories to the OES.

The OES brings together countries to advance research, development and demonstration of conversion technologies to harness energy from all forms of ocean renewable resources, such as tides, waves, currents, temperature gradient (ocean thermal energy conversion and submarine geothermal energy) and salinity gradient for electricity generation, as well as for other uses, such as desalination, through international cooperation and information exchange.

The OES will complete its second five-year mandate on 28 February 2012. Thus a request for a new 5-year term is being submitted to the CERT during 2011. The “request-forextension” process is an opportunity for the Executive Committee (ExCo) to discuss its accomplishments over the past term and to make specific plans for the next term. Therefore the ExCo prepared a 5-year Strategic Plan to the IEA to secure a third 5-year mandate. A key component of this Plan is a Communications Plan, which will raise the profile of OES and of its efforts “to realize cost-competitive, environmentally sound ocean energy on a sustainable basis to provide a significant contribution to meeting future energy demands”.

OES consists of 19 member countries (as of Nov. 2011). Each country is represented by contracting parties - who nominates participants in the OES Executive Committee. Participants in the OES are specialists from government departments, national energy agencies, research or scientific bodies and academia, nominated by the Contracting Parties.