Marco Aurélio Santos Kick-off meeting Rostock Azores Partner

Azores Archipelago 1370 Km 1940 Km 617 Km Remote Isolated Oceanic Lack of Territorial Continuity 600 km Lack of Continental Shelf

Environmentally important, rare and sensitive area 2 marine Ramsar areas; 3 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves; 12 OSPAR marine protected areas; 32 Blue Flags, for bathing areas excellence; 40 EU - Natura 2000 sites; 44+5 regulated marine protected areas; ca marine species; All the archipelago – QualityCoast, Gold Level, nº 1.

Huge Exclusive Economic Zone – 1,000,000 Km 2 More than zoning, the Azorean MSP wishes to open spaces and suggest new uses. Marine Spatial Planning of the Azores in development phase.

Description of the electric system Energy grids are all isolated, meaning that there are nine particular energy systems; MWh annual production of electricity 70% from Thermal sources (63.6% come from Fuel and 8.3% come from Diesel) 30% from Renewable sources (20.4% come from Geothermal production and 7.6% come from Water and Wind); The sectors with biggest shares are the Domestic consumption (35%) Commerce & Services (33%), followed by the Public Services (16%); EDA - Eletricidade dos Açores is the Regional electrical company and has a concession for the production (Ensures the management and maintenance of production equipment of the 9 islands), transport and distribution of energy. The regional government is the majority (51%) shareholder of EDA.

Blue growth has a tool for energy autonomy Our aim on this project is to find new methods to take advantage of the region’s natural resources in order to guarantee its energy autonomy. Part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund)

Offshore energy Courtesy: WindFloat – EDP and Power Principle