The Oceanography Center, University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Employers & Industrialist Federation (OEB), organised with great success on the 15th of May 2018 at OEBs offices in Nicosia, the 1st Blue Energy Laboratory for discussing and sharing perspectives on the promotion of Blue Energy in Cyprus, with invited guests from both the public and private sector.
The meeting was held in the frame of the EU funded project MAESTRALE to which the Oceanography Center, University of Cyprus is a partner while OEB has the responsibility to organise four BEL meeting to promote Blue Energy in Cyprus. The aim of the project is to promote Blue Energy developments in the Mediterranean through the development of networks and clusters. The project is aimed by the ERDF through the Interreg Med programme.
During the 1st BEL, the MAESTRALE project was presented as well as the result from the BE potential analysis for Cyprus. Past initiatives for promoting BE in Cyprus were also presented. The participants discussed the opportunities for using BE technologies in the area as well as the need to establish a common framework for maritime spatial planning, the need to define the legal framework and permitting procedures in the maritime space of Cyprus. During the meeting a PESTLE analysis took place to investigate the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental aspects of the promotion of BE in our island.
The participants stated the importance of cooperation and knowledge sharing between the different entities in order to solve important issues such as the permitting procedure and the maritime spatial planning, the technological innovation and maturity as well as the possible environmental effects. The importance of such meetings was stated as essential for preparing the national plan for the maritime spatial planning.