OCEaN at WindEurope’s 2026 Annual Event in Madrid

17 March 2026

For the fourth year, OCEaN and the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) were present at WindEurope’s 2026 Annual Event, taking place in Madrid from 21-23 April 2026. We organised a wide range of activities – including a stand in the exhibition hall (9-J108), presentations from OCEaN Members on their collaborative work to reconcile energy and nature at sea, and more!

RGI’s Offshore Team and Members of the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature participated in WindEurope’s 2026 Annual Event with a range of activities:

OCEaN Exhibition Stand

OCEaN had a stand in the exhibition hall for all three days of the conference (21-23 April, 2026) located at 9-J108. Visitors to our stand had a chance to chat with OCEaN Members and the RGI Offshore Team, explore projects from our Energy & Nature Database, pick up OCEaN publications and giveaways, and more!

Presentations in Exhibition Hall

We once again organised presentations in the exhibition area which highlight the collaborations and projects of OCEaN Members working to advance offshore renewable energy infrastructure and nature protection and restoration. These events were a great chance for attendees not familiar with OCEaN’s work to see real-life examples and collaborations in action, with three short presentations spread out throughout the Annual Event to fit all schedules. Some of these presentations took place at Members’ stands while others were at OCEaN’s stand.

Tuesday, 21 April (11:30 – 12:00): ‘Decommissioning offshore wind and grid infrastructure: incorporating nature in end-of-life decision making,’ presentation and Q&A hosted by TenneT and the North Sea Foundation. (Location: TenneT stand | 9-J40).

Wednesday, April 22 (10:30 – 11:15): ‘From Concept to Reality: Integrating NID into Offshore Wind Foundations’, presentation and Q&A hosted by RWE and Natuur & Milieu (Location: RWE stand | 10-E30).

Thursday, April 23 (10:00 – 10:30): ‘Planning with Nature: Embedding environmental knowledge in offshore planning’, presentation and Q&A hosted by RTE and France Nature Environnement (Location: OCEaN stand | 9-J108).

Side Events

During the conference, OCEaN, RGI, and WindEurope held the side event Investing in action, paying for inaction: From climate and biodiversity crisis to nature-friendly offshore wind and grids from 12:30-15:20 on 22 April. This workshop aimed to explore how offshore wind – a key pillar of Europe’s energy transition and the fight against climate change and associated biodiversity loss – can help mitigate systemic risks, and what it takes to ensure that its deployment is compatible with marine ecosystem protection, financially viable, and supported by measurable environmental outcomes. The side event kicked off with a networking lunch.

The EU project NiD4OCEAN, of which RGI is a consortium member of, also organised an event: Innovators Making Waves: Nature-Inclusive Concepts for Floating Offshore Wind, which took place on 21 April from 15:00-17:00. This event explored why nature-inclusive innovation is essential for floating offshore wind infrastructure and included expert panels, lightning talks showcasing nature-inclusive concepts developed by university students and SMEs from across Europe, networking opportunities, and a poster exhibition.