Who we are
The ongoing biodiversity and climate crisis have prompted various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), wind industry actors and transmission system operators (TSOs) to join forces and cooperate in a coalition to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind energy and grid infrastructure while ensuring alignment with nature protection and healthy marine ecosystems. Today, 30 organisations from across Europe have signed a common Memorandum of Understanding and, alongside two supporting organisations, are committed to working together to achieve these goals. In 2023, The Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature – Mediterranean Sea (Med OCEaN) was also launched, bringing together NGOs, wind industry and transmission system operators (TSOs) from across the Mediterranean basin and adjacent Atlantic waters.
Our Mission
The Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature – OCEaN – provides an open forum for discussion, where existing information and experiences are collected and assessed, needs for further research are identified, and solutions on how to improve and speed up the planning deployment of offshore wind development and grid infrastructure while preserving and restoring our European seas are jointly designed.
The Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) is a founding member of OCEaN. It acts as the convener and moderator of the group.
RGI is a unique collaboration of NGOs and TSOs from across Europe engaging in an ‘energy transition ecosystem-of-actors’, promoting fair, transparent, sustainable grid development to enable the growth of renewables to achieve full decarbonisation in line with the Paris Agreement.
Members of OCEaN
Non-governmental organisations:
BirdLife
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH)
Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU)
Natuur & Milieu
Renewables Grid Initiative
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
Stichting De Noordzee
The Wildlife Trusts
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Transmission system operators:
50hertz
Amprion
Eirgrid Group
Elia
Energinet
National Grid
Le réseau de transport d’électricité (Rte)
Statnett
TenneT
Energy developers:
Bundesverband der Windparkbetreiber Offshore (BWO)
Iberdrola
Ørsted
Renewables Norway
RWE
Seawind
Siemens Gamesa
Skyborn Renewables
SSE Renewables
Vattenfall
WAB
WindEurope
Wind Energy Ireland
Supporting organisations:
Ocean Institute (Tænketanken Hav)
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Funding
The Members of the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature come together on a voluntary basis. All Members contribute with their time and in-house resources and sponsor events and studies on a case-by-case basis.
RGI’s Offshore Team is the acting Secretariat of the Coalition.
The European Climate Foundation (ECF), The VELUX Foundations, and the US based National Philanthropic Trust (NPT) provide funding to enable selected NGOs to actively engage in the work of OCEaN. This is done via RGI-led consortiums and specific projects. For more on RGI’s funding structure please visit the funding page on RGI's website.
Memorandum of Understanding
All Members of OCEaN sign our Memorandum of Understanding upon joining.