Publications

Making Energy Islands a Success – a roadmap

With its cross-sector approach and commitment to fostering joint efforts, Energy Island Forum (EIF) is breaking down silos and shaping a shared vision for offshore energy development.

This unprecedented level of international collaboration marks a transformative shift in how the sector addresses both the challenges and opportunities of energy islands. As a key milestone, EIF presented its strategic roadmap to Members of the European Parliament in December 2024.

The roadmap outlines two key horizons:

  • The short-term 2030 horizon focuses on identifying concrete actions to enable the realization of the first offshore energy hubs in the 2030s.
  • These initial hubs will serve as steppingstones, guiding research, innovation and demonstration efforts aimed at making offshore energy hubs increasingly cost-effective, reliable, and widespread by 2050.

Importantly, key actions for both horizons are being launched in parallel to ensure a coordinated and forward-looking approach.

The roadmap is organized into five key fields of innova­tion, each addressing critical aspects of offshore energy hub development and giving more specific actions:

  1. Power & Energy Systems
  2. Offshore Wind
  3. Power-to-X & Green Fuels
  4. Society & Environment
  5. Regulation

Energy Islands Outlook 2026

Following the publication of the roadmap, Energy Island Forum advanced its efforts by developing the roadmap into an implementation plan, presented in the Outlook 2026.

This implementation plan represents the first step toward realizing the roadmap, focusing on initiating the key actions aligned with the 2030 horizon and guided by a clearly defined overarching strategic goal, the Northern Star, which provides a shared direction for all stakeholders involved.

To progress toward this Northern Star, three initial Tipping Points have been prioritized, selected specifically to address the mounting challenges that shaped the development of offshore energy hubs in 2024 and 2025. These challenges included sharply increased infrastructure costs, disruptions across supply chains, and a more complex political landscape marked by heightened attention to resilience, energy security, and more cautious approaches to cross-border collaboration.

Download PDF: Energy Islands Outlook 2026