2025年欧盟海洋能-技术发展、趋势、价值链和市场现状报告（英文版）

JointResearchCentre

CLEANENERGY

TECHNOLOGYOBSERVATORY

2025

OceanEnergy

intheEuropeanUnion

StatusReportonTechnologyDevelopment,Trends,ValueChainsandMarkets

1

Contents

Abstract 3

ForewordontheCleanEnergyTechnologyObservatory 4

Acknowledgements 5

Executivesummary 6

1.Introduction 9

1.1.Scopeandcontext 9

1.2.Methodologyanddatasources 9

2.Technologystatusanddevelopmenttrends 10

2.1.Technologyoverview 10

2.2.Technologyreadinesslevel 12

2.3.Installedenergycapacityandproduction 12

2.4.Technologycosts 15

2.5.PublicRD&Ifunding 17

2.6.PrivateRD&Ifunding 19

2.7.Patentingtrends 24

2.8.Scientificpublicationtrends 28

2.9.AssessmentofR&Iprojectdevelopments 33

3.ValueChainAnalysis 36

3.1.TurnoverandGrossValueAdded 36

3.2.Environmentalandsocio-economicsustainability 36

3.3.RoleofEUcompanies 37

3.4.Employment 37

3.5.Energyintensityandlabourproductivity 38

3.6.EUProductionData 39

4.EUMarketPositionandGlobalCompetitiveness 40

4.1.Globalmarketsandgrowthprospects 40

4.2.Trade(import/export)andtradebalance 40

4.3.Statusofnet-zerotechnologysystemsandcomponentsintheEU 40

4.4.ResourceefficiencyanddependenceinrelationtoEUcompetitiveness 40

5.Conclusions 43

2

References 45

Listofabbreviationsanddefinitions 48

Listoffigures 50

Listoftables 52

Annexes 53

Annex1SummaryTableofDataSourcesfortheCETOIndicators 54

Annex2EnergySystemModelsandScenarios 55

AN2.1POTEnCIACETO2025Scenario 55

AN2.2GlobalCETO2°CScenario2025 55

Annex3EUFundedprojectsunderH2020andHorizonEurope 57

Annex4Globaloceanenergydevelopers 61

3

Abstract

OceanenergyisrecognisedwithintheEuropeanEnergyUnionasafundamentalresearchanddevelopmentprioritytomeetthe2050climateandenergyobjectives.TheEuropeanGreenDealincludedoceanenergyamongtheessentialtechnologiestosupportthetransitiontoclimateneutrality.Thisreportprovidesanupdatedassessmentofoceanenergytechnologies,focusingontidalandwaveenergyprogressachievedthroughEU-fundedresearchuptotheendof2024,alignedwithSETPlantargets.Itoffersacomprehensiveanalysiscoveringtechnologystatusanddeployments,valuechaindynamics,andtheEU’smarketpositionandcompetitivenesswithintheglobaloceanenergysector.ThereportalsoidentifiespotentialbottlenecksandrisksthatcouldhindertheachievementofthetargetssetoutintheEuropeanGreenDeal.

4

ForewordontheCleanEnergyTechnologyObservatory

TheEuropeanCommissionsetuptheCleanEnergyTechnologyObservatory(CETO)in2022tohelpaddressthecomplexityandmulti-facedcharacterofthetransitiontoaclimate-neutralsocietyinEurope.TheEU’sambitiousenergyandclimatepoliciescreateanecessitytotackletherelated

challengesinacomprehensivemanner,recognizingtheimportantroleforadvancedtechnologiesandinnovationintheprocess.

CETOisajointinitiativeoftheEuropeanCommissionJointResearchCentre(JRC),whoruntheobservatory,andDirectorateGeneralsResearchandInnovation(R&I)andEnergy(ENER)onthepolicyside.Itsoverallobjectivesareto:

-monitortheEUresearchandinnovationactivitiesoncleanenergytechnologiesneededforthedeliveryoftheEuropeanGreenDeal

-assessthecompetitivenessoftheEUcleanenergysectoranditspositioningintheglobalenergymarket

-buildonexistingCommissionstudies,relevantinformation&knowledgeinCommissionservicesandagencies,andtheLowCarbonEnergyObservatory(2015-2020)

-publishreportsontheStrategicEnergyTechnologyPlan(

SETPlan

)SETISonlineplatform

CETOprovidesarepositoryoftechno-andsocio-economicdataonthemostrelevanttechnologiesandtheirintegrationintheenergysystem.Ittargetsinparticularthestatusandoutlookfor

innovativesolutionsaswellasthesustainablemarketuptakeofbothmatureandinventive

technologies.TheprojectservesasprimarysourceofdatafortheCommission’sannualprogress

reportson

competitivenessofcleanenergytechnologies.

ItalsosupportstheimplementationofanddevelopmentofEUresearchandinnovationpolicy.

Theobservatoryproducesaseriesofannualreportsaddressingthefollowingthemes:

-CleanEnergyTechnologyStatus,ValueChainsandMarket:coveringadvancedbiofuels,

batteries,bioenergy,carboncaptureutilisationandstorage,concentratedsolarpowerandheat,geothermalheatandpower,heatpumps,hydropower&pumpedhydropowerstorage,novel

electricityandheatstoragetechnologies,oceanenergy,photovoltaics,renewablefuelsofnon-

biologicalorigin(other),renewablehydrogen,solarfuels(direct)andwind(offshoreandonshore).

-CleanEnergyTechnologySystemIntegration:building-relatedtechnologies,digital

infrastructureforsmartenergysystem,industrialanddistrictheat&coldmanagement,standalonesystems,transmissionanddistributiontechnologies,smartcitiesandinnovativeenergycarriersandsupplyfortransport.

-ForesightAnalysisforFutureCleanEnergyTechnologiesusingWeakSignalAnalysis

-CleanEnergyOutlooks:AnalysisandCriticalReview

-SystemModellingforCleanEnergyTechnologyScenarios

-OverallStrategicAnalysisofCleanEnergyTechnologySectorMoredetailsareavailableonthe

CETOwebpages

5

Acknowledgements

TheauthorswouldliketothankJRCcolleaguesNigelTAYLORandKrzysztofPIELA(CETOprojectleaders)forthecoordinationandsupport,CatrionaBLACKforherreview,editsandcomments,andJRC.C.6energysystemmodellingteamsforprovidingenergyscenarios:

•fromPOTEnCIA:Wegener,M.,Jaxa-Rozen,M.,SalvucciR.,Neuwahl,F.,R.,Sikora,P.,andRózsai,M.

•fromPOLES:SchadeB.,Keramidas,K.,Fosse,F.,Dowling,P,Russ,P.

TheauthorsaregratefulforthecommentsandcontributionsreceivedfromMatthijsSOEDE(RTD)andVeraKISSLER(ENER).

Authors

LucieMCGOVERN(Leadauthor)

EvdokiaTAPOGLOU(Co-leadauthor)

AlikiGEORGAKAKI(Competitivenessdataprovider)

AikateriniMOUNTRAKI(Competitivenessdataprovider)

SimonLETOUT(Competitivenessdataprovider)

ElaINCE(Competitivenessdataprovider)

JuanGeaBERMUDEZ(POTEnCIAmodelenergyscenarios)

AndreasSCHMITZ(POLES-JRCmodelenergyscenarios)MarcelinaGRABOWSKA(Bibliometricdataprovider)

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Executivesummary

EUObjectivesandChallenges

TheoceanenergysectorhassignificantpotentialtocontributetotheEuropeanUnion's(EU)energy

mixanddecarbonisationgoals.Publishedin2020,theoffshorerenewableenergystrategyaimsfor

1GWofinstalledoceanenergycapacityby2030,growingto40GWby2050(EC,2020).Despiteanincreaseinplannedcommercialprojects,thescaleofdeploymentsremainslow,andsignificantcostreductionsmustbeachievedforthesetechnologiestobesustainableandcontributetotheenergymarket.

TechnologyStatus

Waveandtidalstreamenergyaretheleadingoceanenergysub-technologiesintermsofdeployment,innovation,andfuturepotentialintheEU.Horizontalaxisturbinesarethemostmaturetidalstreamsub-technology,withseveraldevicesalreadyreachingTRL8–9.Waveenergydevicesshowgreaterdesigndiversitythantidaltechnologies,withnosingledominantdesignconceptyetemerging.

In2024,globalnewinstalledcapacityreached1.8MW,including0.5MWintheEU.WithintheEU,FranceandtheNetherlandshavethemajorityofcumulativeinstalledcapacityintermsoftidalstreamenergy,whilePortugalandSpainareleadingthedeploymentofwaveenergydevices.

Theoceanenergysectorfaceschallengesinpredictingtheadoptionofoceanenergytechnologiesduetothenascentstatusofthesetechnologiesandtheuncertaintysurroundingtheirfuturecostsandperformance.AccordingtothePOTEnCIACETO2025scenario,installedoceanenergycapacityintheEUcouldreach493MWby2030and555MWby2050.Thisdeploymentlevel,whichismainlydrivenbythelowfinancialcompetitivenessofoceanenergycomparedtootherrenewablesources,issignificantlylowerthantheEU’soffshorerenewablestrategytargetsof1GWby2030and40GWby2050.

InvestmentandFunding

In2023,publicR&DinvestmentintheEUreachedEUR30.6million(provisionaldata),representinga37%decreasecomparedtotherecordinvestmentofEUR48.4millionin2022.

Globally,theEUisleadinginpublicR&Dinvestment,accountingfor58%oftheworldwidetotalinthelastdecade.ThisisattributedinequalproportiontodirectinvestmentsbytheMemberStatesandtofundingfromEUframeworkprogrammes(29%ofthetotalglobalinvestmentsforeach).

Since2014,overEUR365millionhasbeeninvestedinoceanenergytechnologyprojectsundertheEuropeanUnion’sHorizon2020(H2020)FrameworkProgrammeandHorizonEurope.WaveenergyprojectsreceivedthelargestshareoffundingwithEUR201millionallocated,followedbytidalenergyprojectswithEUR134millioninfunding.Otherprojects,coveringcombinedwaveandtidaltechnologies,oceanthermalenergyconversion(OTEC),andoverarchingoceanenergytopics,accountedforEUR30million.

Europeisalsoaleaderinprivateinvestmentintheoceanenergysector.Globally,EUcompaniesarethesecond-largestprivateinvestorsinoceanenergytechnologies,withatotalinvestmentofEUR948millionbetween2010and2022.Outofthetop10beneficiarycountriesofVCandPEinvestment,fivearepartoftheEU:Sweden,France,Denmark,theNetherlandsandGermany.Overall,theEUrepresentsanimportantshareofbothearly-andlate-stageinvestmentsdeals,with53%ofglobalinvestmentdealsbetween2022and2024.

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ValueChain

Oceanenergytechnologiesarestillinthedevelopmentandpre-commercialphase,andthesectorisnotconsideredmainstreambusinessyet.Consequently,informationregardingmarketvalueandvaluechainremainslimited.

Anestimateofthesector’spotentialgrosseconomicvaluebyETIPOcean(2022)showedthatthetotalpotentialgrossvalueaddedtotheEuropeaneconomy(consideringEUandUK)couldreachbetweenEUR59billionandEUR140billionby2050.However,thisestimateisbasedontheIEA’s“fasterinnovationcase”withinitsSustainableDevelopmentScenario,whichassumesasignificantlyacceleratedrolloutofselectedcleanenergytechnologiesandaglobaldeploymentof60–100GWofoceanenergycapacity.

Theglobaloceanenergyworkforcein2023isestimatedataround1000FTEs,includingatleast415inEU-basedcompanies.

Sustainability

Lifecycleassessment(LCA)studiesshowthatgreenhousegasemissionsfromoceanenergytechnologiesrangefrom10to374gCO₂-eq/kWh,dependingontheevaluationmethodandthesub-technology.Rawmaterialextractionandthemanufacturingstagerepresentthemainenvironmentalimpacts,comparedtolowimpactfrominstallation,maintenanceandoperation.

Thepotentialenergypay-backtime(EPBT)variesbetween1.2yearsand11.2yearsfortidalstreamtechnologies,andisshorterforwaveenergytechnologies,whereitvariesbetween1yearand5.4years.However,thesepaybackperiodsarebasedonassumeddevicelifetimesrangingfrom20to50yearsdependingonthetechnology–lifetimesthathavenotyetbeendemonstratedinpractice,asmostoceanenergydevicesremainintheearlystagesofdeployment.

EUPositioningandGlobalCompetitiveness

Thereiscurrentlynodedicatedtradecodeforoceanenergyequipmentandservices,preventinganyassessmentoftheimports,exportsandtradebalancebetweentheEUandrestoftheworld.Additionally,duetothecurrentmanufacturingstatusofoceanenergytechnologies,thedelegatedactonprimarilyusedcomponentsundertheNet-ZeroIndustryActregulationdoesnotidentifyanyprimarilyusedcomponentsforeithertidalstreamtechnologiesorwaveenergytechnologies.

Intermsofmaterialdependency,therareearthelementsandboronusedinthepermanentmagnetsoftheturbinegeneratorsareparticularlyrelevantduetotheEU'shighimportdependencyforthesecriticalrawmaterials.Additionally,copperandaluminiumarecriticalfortheelectricalcomponentsofoceanenergytechnologies,andareclassified,respectively,asstrategicrawmaterialandcriticalrawmaterial.

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SWOTAnalysis

Table1.Strengths,weaknesses,opportunitiesandthreats(SWOT)analysisoftheoceanenergysector’scompetitiveness.

Strengths

Weaknesses

•Tidalenergyisapredictablesourceofenergy,whilewaveenergycangeneratepowerevenundermildconditions.

•TheEUholdsastrongpositionintermsofpublications,patents,andpublicandprivateR&I.

•MultipleEuropeancompanieshaveprojectexperienceandsector-specificknowledge.

•Thevisualimpactislow,leadingtoincreasedpublicacceptance.

•Duetotheimmaturityofthesector,therearestillhighinitialcosts(CAPEX).

•Maintenancecanbecostly/difficult,leadingtohighoperationalcosts(OPEX).

•Therearegeographicalconstraints–especiallyfortidalenergy–asmostmaturetechnologiesrequirestrongtidalcurrentstooperate

effectively.

•Dataislimitedonoceanenergydevicelifetimes,leadingtouncertaintyinlong-termperformanceandtoconservativeassumptionsinrelationto

costestimates.

Opportunities

Threats

•TheEUcouldtakealeadingglobalroleinoceanenergy,creatingopportunitiesforexports,innovation,andjobcreation.

•Technologicaladvances–includingimprovedmaterials,modulardesigns,anddigitalmonitoring–coulddrivecostreductionsandperformanceimprovements.

•Integrationwithothermarineactivities(e.g.,offshorewindandaquaculture)couldcreatesynergiesandsharedinfrastructurebenefits.

•Despitemoreplannedcommercialprojects,thecurrentdeploymentrateisinsufficienttomeetstrategictargetsandachievemeaningfulcostreductions.

•Oceanenergytechnologiesremainmore

expensivethanotherrenewableenergysources(includingoffshorewind),whichcouldreduce

investorconfidenceandpolicysupport.

•Administrativebarriers–suchascomplex

permitting,lackofstandardisation,and

fragmentedregulatoryframeworks–cancausedelaysanduncertaintyfordevelopers.

Source:JRC,2025.

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1.Introduction

1.1.Scopeandcontext

Theoceanscontainvastrenewableenergypotential,whichcouldsupportsustainablelong-termeconomicdevelopmentandbeacrucialcomponentintheworld’semerging“blue”economy.Oceanenergy–includingwave,tidal,salinitygradientandoceanthermalenergyconversiontechnologies–canprovidereliableandstableelectricity,andsupportothercomponentsofthiseconomicsector,suchasaquacultureanddesalination.

Thepurposeofthisreportistoprovideanassessmentofthestateoftheartofoceanenergytechnology,toevaluatethevaluechains,toidentifytheirdevelopmentneedsandbarriers,andtoassessthemarket.Theanalysisfocusesprimarilyontidalandwaveenergytechnologies,consideringtheirpotentialtoprovideasignificantcontributiontotheEuropeanenergymixinthecomingyears.

Thereportisorganisedintofivemainchapters.Chapter2examinesthestateoftheartandfuturedevelopmentsofoceanenergy,focusingonadvancementsintechnologyreadiness,energycapacity,costs,andresearchfunding.Chapter3focusesonthevaluechainanalysis,coveringeconomiccontributions,sustainability,andtheroleofEUcompaniesinthemarket.Chapter4providesanoverviewoftheEU'sglobalpositionandcompetitivenessintheoceanenergyindustry,analysingmarketstatus,tradedynamics,andresourceefficiency.Chapter5concludesthereportbysynthesisingkeyfindingsandhighlightingstrategicopportunitiesandchallenges.

1.2.Methodologyanddatasources

ThepresentreportfollowsthegeneralstructureofCETOtechnologyreportsandisdividedintothreesections:

•Technologymaturitystatus,developmentsandtrends;

•Valuechainanalysis;

•EUpositionandglobalcompetitiveness.

Thereportusesthefollowinginformationsources:

•Eurostatdata;

•ExistingstudiesandreviewspublishedbytheEuropeanCommissionandinternationalorganisations;

•InformationfromEU-fundedresearchprojects;

•EUandinternationaldatabases;

•EUtradedata,tradereports,marketresearchreportsandothers;

•JRCownreviewanddatacompilation;

•Stakeholders’input.

DetailsofspecificsourcescanbefoundinthecorrespondingsectionsandTableA1ofAnnex1providesasummaryoftheindicatorsforeachaspect,togetherwiththemaindatasources.

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2.Technologystatusanddevelopmenttrends

2.1.Technologyoverview

Theoceanscontainthelargestuntappedsourceofrenewableenergy.Whileoceanpowertechnologiesrepresentthesmallestshareoftherenewableenergymarket,theyaresteadilyadvancingtowardscommercialisation(IRENA,2021).

Differenttechnologieshavebeendevelopedthroughouttheyearstoharnesseachofthedifferenttypesofenergysourcespresentintheoceans.Thesecanbedividedintofourmaincategories:tidalenergy,waveenergy,oceanthermalenergyconversion(OTEC)andsalinitygradienttechnologies.Inthisreport,tidalandwaveenergywillbediscussedindetailduetotheirrelevanceintheEUmarket.

TheoceanenergysectorhassignificantpotentialtocontributetotheenergymixoftheEU,withatheoreticalpotentialofabout2800TWhforwaveenergyand50TWhfortidalenergyannually(Magagna,2020).InEurope,theAtlanticcoastpresentsthelargestpotential.OTEC,however,isonlydeployableintropicalseasandinEUoverseasislands.

Tidalenergycanbeextractedintwomainways,eitherbytakingadvantageofthewaterlevelbetweendifferenttimesofthetidalcircle,namelytidalrange,orbytakingadvantageofthetidalcurrentsthroughtidalstreamtechnologies.Whiletidalrangehasthelargestinstalledcapacityamongstalloceanenergyresources,itistypicallynotpursuedduetothelimitedsiteavailability,largeinitialcostandenvironmentalimplications.CurrentlyintheEUalimitednumberofprojectsareoperational,withthelargestoneinLaRance,France,whileonlyoneisinthepipeline(Brouwersdam,theNetherlands).

Ontheotherhand,tidalstreamhasanincreasingnumberofdeployments,atdifferentscales(small-scaleandfull-scale)andinarangeofTRLs.Tidalstreamoceanenergyoriginatesfromhorizontalwatercurrentsthatarecreatedbytheverticalvariationofwaterlevelscausedbytides.Technologiesthattakeadvantageofthetidalstreamareasfollows.

•Horizontalaxisturbines(HAT):devicesthatusetheflowofthetidalstreamtorotaterotorsaroundahorizontalaxis,generatingpower.Theseturbinescanbeeitherfixedontheseabedorfloating.

•Verticalaxisturbines(VAT):devicesinwhichtherotorsrotatearoundaverticalaxis,harnessingthetidalstreamtogenerateelectricity.

•Enclosedtips(ET):afunnel-likedevicethatsitsontheseabed.Theflowofthetidalcurrentdrivesaturbinedirectlyortheinducedpressuredifferentialinthesystemdrivesanair-turbine.

•Oscillatinghydrofoil(OH):ahydrofoilattachedtoanoscillatingarm.Thetidalcurrentflowingcausesthehydrofoiltolift.Thismotiondrivesfluidinahydraulicsystemandisconvertedintoelectricity.

•Tidalkite(TK):akitecarryingaturbinebelowitswing,tetheredtotheseabed.Asthekite‘flies’inthetidalstream,theturbinerotates,therebyproducingelectricity.

•Archimedesscrew:ahelicalcorkscrew-shapeddevicethatdrawspowerfromthetidalstreamasthewatermovesup/throughthespiralturningtheturbines.

Themostprominentsub-technologyoftidalstreamdevicesistheHAT,withmultipledevicesalreadyshowingahighmaturitylevel(TRL8-9).Theinstalleddeviceshaveacapacityfrom100kWupto2MW.MostdemonstrationprojectsarelocatedintheUK,Portugal,France,theNetherlands,and

11

Canada.Tidalkitesarealsocurrentlybeingtestedatfullscale(TRL7-8),withinstalleddevicesof100kWcapacityandalicenceforanarraydevelopmentreaching80MW.

Comparedtotidaldevices,thereisagreatervariationindesignsinwaveenergytechnology,withnodominantsub-technology.Themaindevicetypesare:

•Pointabsorbers(PA):floatingstructuresthattakeadvantageofthemotionofthedeviceproducedbypassingwaves.

•Oscillatingwavesurgeconverters(OWSC):submergeddevicesthattakeadvantageofthependulummovementofaflatsurface,causedbythemovementofwaterinthewaves.

•Oscillatingwatercolumn(OWC):apartiallysubmerged,hollowstructurethatisopentotheseabelowthewaterline,enclosingacolumnofairontopofacolumnofwater.Wavescausethewatercolumntoriseandfall,whichinturncompressesanddecompressestheaircolumn.Thistrappedairflowsthroughaturbinetogenerateelectricity.

•Rotatingmass(RM):ahollowdevicethatenclosesaneccentricweightofagyroscope.Asthedeviceismovedbythewaves,theweightrotates,producingelectricity.

•Hydrofoil:adevicewithawing-likestructurethatoscillatesduetowavemotion,drivingahydraulicormechanicalsystemtogenerateelectricity.

Therearesignificantdifferencesbetweenthesetypesofwaveenergydevice,basedonhowtheyareoperatedandonthepowerconversionsystememployed,rangingfromlineardirectdrivegeneratorstomechanicalandpneumaticsystems.

Devicescurrentlyinusearecapableofsurvivingwaveloadings,however,reliabilityisstilltobefullyprovenandinformationregardingtheelectricitygenerationfromwaveenergydeploymentislimited.

Apartfromelectricityproduction,thepredictabilityoftidalenergy,coupledwiththepossibilityofensuringalmost20hoursofgenerationperday,hasledtoexploratoryprojectswhereelectricitythatcannotbeusedbythegridisdirectedtowardstheproductionofhydrogen.AcharacteristicexampleofoceanenergystorageisNovaInnovation’sTidalEnergyStorageSystem,whichusesa300kWtidalarraycoupledwithaTeslaBatterytoprovidebaseloadelectricitytotheShetlandIslands(NovaInnovation,2019).

Similarly,forwaveenergy,thesectorisinvestigatinguseofthetechnologyforsectorsotherthantheutility-scaleelectricitymarket.Methodsthatcombinewaveenergywithdesalinationarecurrentlybeingtested.OPTPowerBuoys,inconjunctionwithENIandPremierOil,highlightthepossibilitiesthatwaveenergytechnologyofferstoprovidecleanpowertostandaloneapplications,suchasenvironmentaldatagatheringandtransmission(OPT,2018).OtherexamplesincludetheMoorPowerscaleddemonstratorprojectwhichuseswaveenergytodirectlypoweraquacultureactivities,andWave2Owhichuseswaveenergytopoweradesalinationsystem.

Hybridapproachesthatincorporatemorethanonerenewableenergysourcearealsostartingtobedeployedatasmallscale.Incorporatingoceanenergydevicesintooffshorewind,floatingoffshorewindandfloatingPVtechnologieswillhelplowerthecostofoceanenergytechnologiesthroughsharingfacilitiesandprocedures(e.g.maintenanceprocedures),whileensuringamoreconsistentenergyoutcome.

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2.2.Technologyreadinesslevel

Table2showsthedifferentoceanenergytechnologies,togetherwiththecurrentTRLofthemajorityofdevices.

Table2.Technologicalreadinesslevelfordifferenttypesofoceanenergy.

TRL(TechnologyReadinessLevel)

Sub-

Technology

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Tidalenergy

Waveenergy

OTEC

Salinitygradient

Source:JRC,2025.

2.3.Installedenergycapacityandproduction

TheEUoffshorerenewableenergystrategysetsambitioustargetsforoceanenergydeployment,aimingfor1GWofinstalledcapacityby2030andscalingupto40GWby2050(EC,2020).

Thoughnotthefocusofthisreport,tidalrangetechnologyaccountsformostofthegloballyinstalledoceanenergycapacity.Threemainprojectscombinemostoftheinstalledcapacityworldwide–a

254MWplantintheRepublicofKorea(since2011),a240MWplantinFrance(since1966)anda

20MWstationinCanada(since1984).Despitethedominanceofthistechnology,nonewtidalbarragepowerplantsofthisscalehavebeendevelopedinalmost10years.Indeed,thereislowresourcepotential,withonlylimiteddevelopmentareasandbothhighenvironmentalandhighfinancialcosts.Onlysmallerinstallations(e.g.Tocardo’s1.2MWtidalpowerstationintheNetherlands)haverecentlybeendeveloped,buttheirapplicationislimitedgeographically.

Intermsoftidalstreamandwaveenergycapacity,thedeploymentpeakedin2017when9.4MWwasinstalledgloballyandhasdecreasedsince(Figure1).In2024globalnewinstalledcapacityaccountedfor1.8MW,including0.5MWintheEU.ThehighestcapacityadditionsintheEUwerein2015and2019,when2.6MWand2.7MWwasinstalledrespectively.Aftermaintainingarelativelyconstantlevelofnewcapacityinstallations(around2MW)between2018and2021,theratedecreasedfortheyears2022to2024.

Mostoftheaddedcapacityin2024comesfromtidalstreamenergy,includingthe1.2MWinstallationbyMinestointheFaroeIslandsandthe0.5MWinstallationbySeaQurrentintheNetherlands.Forwaveenergy,thelargestnewprojectisanattenuatorof0.5MWcapacity,whichwasinstalledbyZOEXPowerintheUK.

IntheEU,FranceandtheNetherlandshavethemajorityofcumulativeinstalledcapacityintermsoftidalstreamenergy,whilePortugalandSpainareleadingthedeploymentofwaveenergydevices(Figure2).

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Figure1.Annualnewlyinstalledoceanenergycapacity(MW)intheEU,restofEurope(REU)andrestofthe

world(ROW),2006-2024.

10

9

8

Addedcapacity(MW)

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

200620092011201220142015201620172018201920202021202220232024EUREU.ROW

Source:JRCdatabasecompiledfromTethys,OES,OEEandcompanypressreleases,2025.

Figure2.Cumulativeinstalledoceanenergycapacity(MW)intheEUby20