Our projects

SHINES

Demonstrating tidal and river current energy for the energy sovereignty of North-West Europe

Timescale
2025 – 2028 

Funder
Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) Programme 2021-2027

Funding

European Union funding (ERDF): €6.1 million
Total project cost: €10.3 million

Project summary

SHINES (Showcasing Hydrokinetic energy Innovations for Northwest European Energy Sovereignty) harnesses a renewable resource that remains largely untapped: tidal and river currents. Unlike wind and solar, these currents can be predicted years in advance, making them an ideal complement to other renewable energy sources.

The project brings together 15 partners from 6 countries (France, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany) to test innovative hydrokinetic technologies in real-world conditions at test sites in France and the Netherlands.

Beyond demonstration, SHINES will identify and de-risk the most promising sites in each partner country, working closely with local stakeholders, to prepare for the large-scale deployment of tidal and river energy across North-West Europe.

The project is structured around three main areas:

  • deploying and validating tidal and river energy systems at pilot sites;
  • assessing the potential and market for tidal and river energy in North-West Europe, including an atlas of the resource;
  • engaging stakeholders, strengthening the local supply chain and supporting a favourable regulatory framework.

Pilot sites

  • Ameland (Netherlands): tidal site in the Wadden Sea, connected to the grid.
  • Paimpol-Bréhat (France): full-scale tidal turbine test site off the island of Bréhat, with a 2.5 MW grid connection.
  • SEENEOH (Bordeaux, France): test site for medium-scale turbines on the Garonne river.
  • Fromveur Strait (France): future commercial-scale site between Ushant and the Molène archipelago.

Partners

The project is led by the OPEN-C Foundation, which operates the French test sites of Paimpol-Bréhat and SEENEOH.

SHINES project website  →