Italian energy major ENI is joining Ocean Energy Europe to ensure that development strategies focus on research, innovation and scientific research, the trade association for ocean renewables in Europe said in a press release on November 3.

ENI is taking up a seat on the Board of Directors as a Lead Partner. Vincenzo Michetti, ENI’s Head of Upstream R&D will represent the company on the Board.

Ocean Energy Europe CEO Remi Gruet hailed ENI to the team of Directors: “The addition of Eni to the Ocean Energy Europe board underscores once again the growing credibility of ocean energy,” he said. “ENI brings a wealth of experience in energy production and innovation to the association, which will be invaluable in charting the future course of this emerging industry. I look forward to working with Vincenzo and his team on propelling ocean energy into the mainstream,” he added.

After a long history of activity, predominantly in the oil and gas sector, ENI has, over the last six years, started a transformation that will lead it to drastically cut its carbon emissions, Ocean Energy Europe said, adding that ENI aims to become a leader in the production and marketing of decarbonised products by 2050. ENI’s ventures into renewables, such as ocean energy, epitomise its new business model, with its combination of economic and environmental sustainability.

ENI and the Politecnico di Torino, in Italy, have recently inaugurated MORE – Marine Offshore Renewable Energy Lab – a joint research laboratory that aims to develop ocean energy to its full potential. The lab will fuel the expansion of research into marine energy sources, from wave power to offshore wind and solar power, ocean and tidal currents, and salinity gradient, the press release read.

The Lab is supported by ENI’s supercomputer HPC5, the most powerful in the world for industrial use, and an open-sea test area in Ravenna.

In March 2019, the two partners built the Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter (ISWEC), a hybrid wave and photovoltaic power converter. ISWEC has proven high reliability and adaptability in a variety of sea conditions, thanks to its active control and adjustment system.

“Our ability to devise strategies for an organic growth, robust and sustainable at the same time, relies on technological innovation. In order to meet global challenges and pioneer new frontiers in the energy world, while making zero emissions emerging technologies widely accessible, it is essential that development strategies focus on research, innovation and scientific research,” ENI said, commenting on its inclusion in the OEE board, adding, “Thanks to strategic collaborations, Eni identifies innovative and effective solutions while, at the same time, enhancing the industrial development of scientific research and building the kind of expertise that brings sustainable and responsible added value”.