The natural resources found in the Atlantic Area differ from north to south and a collaborative approach to study them as a whole is fundamental to adapt new technologies to the available resources. Islands in the 5 Member States suffer from energy disconnection from main infrastructures and an increase on renewable energy is long desired.

SEAFUEL aims to demonstrate the feasibility to power local transportation networks using fuels produced by renewable energies and seawater, with no net carbon footprint as promoted by the resource-efficient flagship initiative COM (2010) 2020. It will cover technical innovation by a demonstration plant, a framework for policy implementation and a sustainability analysis of production, distribution and usage of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in remote Atlantic regions. The energy required will provide from renewable resources available across the Atlantic Area such as solar, wind and marine.

SEAFUEL will focus on enhancing the green growth and blue economy and paving the grounds for common renewable energy policies to promote clean and sustainable transport systems. Isolated areas such as islands face the specific challenge of the high cost of electricity and fuel and their dependency on mainland infrastructures. SEAFUEL will target these regions where 30% of fuel consumption comes from local transportation. The project will drastically reduce greenhouse emissions, particulate matter and NO2 in line with the Clean Air Programme 2008/50/EC, and provide a pathway for isolated regions to become energetically independent, leading to future installations in the other Atlantic regions. An alternative fuels model for islands will be developed to fulfil the requirements of the partners’ Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS3) aimed at low carbon economy and efficient use of marine resources.

Funded by

Interreg Atlantic Area [Suropean Regional Development Fund]

Project Partners

  • National University of Ireland Galway
  • University of Liverpool
  • Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, SA
  • Comharchumann Fuinnimh Oileáin Árann Teoranta; Action Renewables
  • Agência Regional da Energia e Ambiente da Região Autónoma da Madeira
  • European Hydrogen Association
  • Agencia Insular de Energía de Tenerife, Fundación Canaria
  • HyEnergy Consultancy Limited
  • Logan Energy
  • Excmo. Cabildo Insular de la Isla de Tenerife
  • Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe