Introducing Panel 2 of the IPBN Ocean Conference

Meet the panelists

The IPBN, in partnership with the Porto Business School, the City Hall of Matosinhos, and the Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), will take a look at the advances that the port city of Matosinhos is taking in the maritime world in an effort to highlight the synergies and potential partnerships that exist with Ireland. On Wednesday, October 25 at the EDP Auditorium of the Porto Business School, our focus will be on the blue economy at the 2023 edition of the IPBN Ocean Conference. We will discuss offshore wind energy, the position and aspiration of the ports of Leixões, Viana do Castelo, and the Douro Navigable Route.

Following introduction and welcoming speeches, and the first panel discussion, the second panel of the conference will take a look at harnessing offshore wind energy and developing partnerships between Ireland and Portugal with representatives from IberBlue Wind and Enerview Solutions. IberBlue Wind is a joint venture specializing in the design, development, and management of floating offshore wind farms that will operate in the Iberian market. Meanwhile, Enerview Solutions A leading renewable energy company that provides a robust and bespoke service offering to their clients, specialized in the areas of onshore and offshore wind, solar, and Electric Vehicle sectors. Moderated by IPBN Board member Susan Cabeceiras, this panel is sure to be of particular interest to conference attendees.

Joining us on the stage is Tiago Morais is the Portugal Floating Wind Development Manager for IPBN and Enterprise Ireland Member company Iber Blue Wind. He has worked for more than 17 years on projects related to the sea and holds a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a specialization in power systems and renewable energies from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). His wealth of experience managing and developing innovation and research projects has led him to coordinate and participate in a significant number of projects with partners from the industry and scientific field at both national and European levels. Tiago has expert knowledge in the IMTA aquaculture sector, underwater robotics, oil and gas industry, offshore wind and marine renewable energies. His work has been published over the years in several national and international strategic documents and scientific journals with high impact value.

In a recent chat with the IPBN, Tiago shared his impressions of the synergies in the incentives between Ireland and Portugal in relation to the European Green Deal. He said, 

• I believe that the Governments of both Portugal and Ireland are fully committed to making this ambition a reality, with a view to an energy transition that is intended to be sustainable. In Ireland, there has been a change in policy to a plan-led approach which has had a significant impact on the pace of development of projects and has had implications for supply chain and investor confidence and may have implications on the 2030 targets. However, the effort of both governments from Portugal and Ireland in defining the status plans for maritime spatial planning and specific tender procedures is visible, which include the definitions of the price for the sale of electrical energy to the grid, connection points to the electrical grid and the form of allocating maritime areas so that it is possible, within a competitive process, for developers, to have the necessary tools to develop their projects.

Further driving the conversation is Gavin McBride, Managing Director at IPBN Member company Enerview Solutions. Gavin is responsible for the development of large-scale onshore projects throughout Europe and Africa which involves the ability to work in both formal and informal settings with all stakeholders. His management experience includes several Multi-Million Euro Projects with the erection of over 600 turbines. 

Registration is still open at this link. Don’t forget to register to join us!