OES Marks 25 Years of International Collaboration in Ocean Energy

Posted 2026-10-19 in News

IEA-OES marks its 25th anniversary with the publication of 25 Years of IEA-OES – A Global Vision, A Shared Commitment, reflecting on a quarter century of technological progress, international cooperation and the people who have shaped the ocean energy community since 2001.

Twenty-five years ago today, IEA-OES was established as an international framework for countries to work together on the development of ocean energy. Today, IEA-OES marks that anniversary with the publication of 25 Years of IEA-OES – A Global Vision, A Shared Commitment, a commemorative reflection on the people, technologies and partnerships that have shaped the collaboration since 2001.

The anniversary report was first presented earlier this month during the closing session of ICOE OEE 2026 in The Hague, bringing together 25 years of ideas, experiments, setbacks, learning, cooperation and progress in ocean energy.

25 Years of IEA-OES – A Global Vision, A Shared Commitment looks back at the journey of IEA-OES since its establishment in 2001, when Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom came together under the framework of the International Energy Agency to create a long-term platform for international cooperation in ocean energy. What began with three countries has since developed into a global collaboration bringing together 22 member countries and the European Commission.

The publication is not intended to be an exhaustive historical record. It is a commemorative reflection on a sector and, above all, on the people and partnerships that have shaped it.

The report follows the evolution of ocean energy from a period when many technologies were still at concept or prototype stage to a sector with growing real-sea experience, dedicated test infrastructure, long-term operational evidence and increasing ambitions for deployment. It looks at the different pathways followed by wave, tidal current, tidal range, ocean thermal energy conversion and salinity gradient technologies, while recognising that progress has rarely been linear.

Testing, redesign, unsuccessful concepts and practical experience at sea have all contributed to the knowledge on which the sector is building today.

At the same time, the report tells the story of international collaboration. It recalls the early Executive Committee meetings, technical visits, international Tasks and the development of common approaches to testing, environmental assessment, performance metrics, costs and technology development. It also traces the journey of ICOE itself, which IEA-OES has supported since 2006 as an international meeting point for the ocean energy community.

A particularly important part of the publication is devoted to the people behind this work. Former Chairs, delegates and members of the OES community share memories and reflections on what international cooperation has meant to them, while the contribution of Task leaders and those who helped build the programme over the years is also recognised.

Matthijs Soede, Chair of IEA-OES, said: “An anniversary is a moment to look back at what has been achieved, but also to recognise the people who made it possible and to look ahead. IEA-OES is a collective achievement. For 25 years, governments, delegates, researchers, developers and experts from around the world have shared knowledge and worked together to advance ocean energy. That spirit of collaboration remains just as important for the years ahead.”

The report does not only look backwards. Its final chapters focus deliberately on what comes next: moving from technology demonstration towards wider deployment, stronger markets and deeper integration of ocean energy within future energy systems and the wider blue economy.

The report describes the coming period as a “decade of deployment”, in which technical progress will increasingly need to be matched by investment, appropriate policy frameworks, infrastructure, skills and international cooperation.

For Ana Brito e Melo, Executive Secretary of IEA-OES and coordinator of the anniversary publication, preparing the report was also an opportunity to revisit the human side of the programme: “Going through 25 years of photographs, reports, meetings and memories made one thing very clear: people have changed, technologies have evolved and the sector has gone through very different periods, with progress not always moving as quickly as many had hoped. But the need to share experience, learn from one another and work together has remained constant. I wanted the report to capture some of that history, but also the collective effort and persistence that have kept the ocean energy community moving forward.”

The publication was launched at ICOE OEE 2026, a fitting setting for the anniversary. Since the first ICOE in Bremerhaven in 2006, the conference has travelled across Europe, North America and Australia.

As IEA-OES marks exactly 25 years today, the message of the publication is ultimately a simple one: progress in ocean energy has required persistence, shared learning and international cooperation - and those same qualities will be essential for the next stage.

The 25th Anniversary Report, A Global Vision, A Shared Commitment, is now available digitally through the IEA-OES website. Printed copies were launched at ICOE OEE 2026 and will continue to be shared with the IEA-OES international community.

Download the report here.