Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SYMBIOSIS (SYMBIOSIS-Offshore Renewable Energy for Defence)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2023-12-31
The EU has the largest global maritime space with its sea basins and oceans. Their variety and complementarity offer a vast potential to develop offshore renewable energy, which can be harnessed in a sustainable way, complementing other activities, including defence. However, there are certain barriers to using renewable energy sources, as large areas are reserved for the civil and military sectors at a national level.
The defence sector is reluctant to release the maritime areas reserved for military purposes due to concerns on possible impacts on the operational effectiveness of the armed forces. Consequently, when allocating maritime space for offshore energy exploitation, the responsible national authorities should establish a dialogue with the defence community to develop an understanding of their requirements and plans to foster coexistence. To address these concerns and deliver sustainable solutions, EDA, together with the European Commission, will develop the project “SYMBIOSIS-Offshore Renewable Energy for Defence”, aiming at enabling mutually beneficial coexistence between different entities that depend on each other.
Run by the Project Management Team and supported by an Advisory Board, the SYMBIOSIS project will establish two communities of users, a defence and a civilian one. Bringing together these communities will enable deepening their insights into the barriers for deploying offshore renewables in maritime defence space and creating synergies for addressing them. Hence, the SYMBIOSIS project will map the maritime defence areas, assess their suitability for deploying offshore renewable projects and analyse the hurdles and risks constraining their development and exploitation. Through research, simulation-modelling, and evaluation-testing in the European maritime spaces, the project will develop different regulatory, technological, and operational solutions and project alternatives to address concerns and needs.
The defence sector is reluctant to release the maritime areas reserved for military purposes due to concerns on possible impacts on the operational effectiveness of the armed forces. Consequently, when allocating maritime space for offshore energy exploitation, the responsible national authorities should establish a dialogue with the defence community to develop an understanding of their requirements and plans to foster coexistence. To address these concerns and deliver sustainable solutions, EDA, together with the European Commission, will develop the project “SYMBIOSIS-Offshore Renewable Energy for Defence”, aiming at enabling mutually beneficial coexistence between different entities that depend on each other.
Run by the Project Management Team and supported by an Advisory Board, the SYMBIOSIS project will establish two communities of users, a defence and a civilian one. Bringing together these communities will enable deepening their insights into the barriers for deploying offshore renewables in maritime defence space and creating synergies for addressing them. Hence, the SYMBIOSIS project will map the maritime defence areas, assess their suitability for deploying offshore renewable projects and analyse the hurdles and risks constraining their development and exploitation. Through research, simulation-modelling, and evaluation-testing in the European maritime spaces, the project will develop different regulatory, technological, and operational solutions and project alternatives to address concerns and needs.
EDA has already managed to deliver on key aspects of the project that are considered to be foundational for the overall implementation of the project. More specifically EDA has:
1. Established the Advisory Board
The scope of establishing the Symbiosis Advisory Board is to assist the Symbiosis Project Management Team in the management, monitoring, and implementation of the project as needed. Moreover, the members of the AB will support the PMT in achieving the project’s objectives and respective goals with their expertise. The AB will also support the implementation of the project by undertaking the necessary measures to reduce existing and emerging factors that could potentially affect the projects’ outcome.
2. Has established the Community of Users ORED and OREC
The establishment of the two communities of users (ORED and OREC CoU) is to assist with their active engagement the PMT to fulfil the mission and the tasks of the Symbiosis project, as well as to implement the projects’ key findings and recommendations.
The two communities of users to be established are:
a. Offshore renewable energy defence community of users (ORED CoU): representatives and experts coming from the defence community. EDA has already the experience and expertise in establishing well-defined defence energy-related communities through two key activities (CF SEDSS -the largest European defence energy community and EDA’s Energy and Environment Working Group -EnE WG4). Therefore, the specific topic on offshore RES and its close link with defence merits the creation of a dedicated expert community of users to preserve the focus on this important topic (CoU).
b. Offshore renewable energy co-existence community of users (OREC CoU): representatives and experts coming from the civilian community. Creating sustainable conditions for the deployment and exploitation of offshore renewables in the maritime areas reserved or used by defence requires an in-depth understanding of the barriers, concerns, and plans from all the engaged stakeholders. In this respect, the civilian community has a lot to offer, hence the need to bring defence in contact with key stakeholders from the civil community to ensure a fruitful, viable, and durable Symbiosis.
3. Implemented the 1st Plenary Conference of the Symbiosis Project
The inaugural event promoting co-existence between defence activities and offshore renewable energy installations was held on 28 June 2023, in Brussels. As the first EDA Horizon Europe-funded project, Symbiosis enhances defence energy resilience and charts a path for future cooperation, amplifying the potential of offshore renewable energy within the European Union.
The website of the project: https://eda.europa.eu/what-we-do/eu-policies/symbiosis(opens in new window)
The linked to the communication on the 1st conference: https://eda.europa.eu/news-and-events/news/2023/06/28/greater-synergies-between-offshore-energy-and-defence-needed-hears-eda-conference(opens in new window)
The link to the Symbiosis factsheet:https://eda.europa.eu/publications-and-data/latest-publications/factsheet-symbiosis-offshore-renewable-energy-for-defence
1. Established the Advisory Board
The scope of establishing the Symbiosis Advisory Board is to assist the Symbiosis Project Management Team in the management, monitoring, and implementation of the project as needed. Moreover, the members of the AB will support the PMT in achieving the project’s objectives and respective goals with their expertise. The AB will also support the implementation of the project by undertaking the necessary measures to reduce existing and emerging factors that could potentially affect the projects’ outcome.
2. Has established the Community of Users ORED and OREC
The establishment of the two communities of users (ORED and OREC CoU) is to assist with their active engagement the PMT to fulfil the mission and the tasks of the Symbiosis project, as well as to implement the projects’ key findings and recommendations.
The two communities of users to be established are:
a. Offshore renewable energy defence community of users (ORED CoU): representatives and experts coming from the defence community. EDA has already the experience and expertise in establishing well-defined defence energy-related communities through two key activities (CF SEDSS -the largest European defence energy community and EDA’s Energy and Environment Working Group -EnE WG4). Therefore, the specific topic on offshore RES and its close link with defence merits the creation of a dedicated expert community of users to preserve the focus on this important topic (CoU).
b. Offshore renewable energy co-existence community of users (OREC CoU): representatives and experts coming from the civilian community. Creating sustainable conditions for the deployment and exploitation of offshore renewables in the maritime areas reserved or used by defence requires an in-depth understanding of the barriers, concerns, and plans from all the engaged stakeholders. In this respect, the civilian community has a lot to offer, hence the need to bring defence in contact with key stakeholders from the civil community to ensure a fruitful, viable, and durable Symbiosis.
3. Implemented the 1st Plenary Conference of the Symbiosis Project
The inaugural event promoting co-existence between defence activities and offshore renewable energy installations was held on 28 June 2023, in Brussels. As the first EDA Horizon Europe-funded project, Symbiosis enhances defence energy resilience and charts a path for future cooperation, amplifying the potential of offshore renewable energy within the European Union.
The website of the project: https://eda.europa.eu/what-we-do/eu-policies/symbiosis(opens in new window)
The linked to the communication on the 1st conference: https://eda.europa.eu/news-and-events/news/2023/06/28/greater-synergies-between-offshore-energy-and-defence-needed-hears-eda-conference(opens in new window)
The link to the Symbiosis factsheet:https://eda.europa.eu/publications-and-data/latest-publications/factsheet-symbiosis-offshore-renewable-energy-for-defence
The reporting period 1 is early at the implementation stage to identify results beyond the state of the art.