Del 6 al 9 de noviembre se ha celebrado en Viena la European Utility Week (EUW 2018), la feria europea más importante del sector de las redes eléctricas inteligentes, también conocido como “Smart grids”, con la asistencia de más de 10.000 profesionales y expertos de todo el mundo.

The Basque Energy Cluster participated in the OGC 2018 via a joint stand with the leading Basque companies and entities in the sector and a talk on "Open Innovation and Collaborative Initiatives in ‘Oil & Gas Basque Industry’” given by José Ignacio Hormaeche.

In an exploratory mission funded by the European Commission within the framework of the ELBE project, the Basque Energy Cluster met the main agents responsible for the strategy and deployment of the emerging marine energies in the United States and Canada.

25 Basque companies participated in the WindEurope Hamburg Expo 2018, the most important event of the year for the international wind power sector, from 25th to 28th September. 12 of them had their own stand on the joint stand organised by the Basque Energy Cluster under the Wind Energy Basque Country brand. This edition is the prelude to WindEurope Bilbao, which will be held from 2nd to 4th April 2019 at the BEC and which will turn the city into the wind power world capital next year.

On 11th and 12th July 2018, the Basque Energy Cluster, in conjunction with Empresas Eléctricas A.G., the Chilean Electricity Companies Association, organised a reverse trade mission with the main Chilean utility companies, focused on monitoring, measurement and control systems. These included Enel Chile, Chilquinta, SAESA and CCGE, which visited diverse facilities of the electrical sector on the Zamudio Technology Park and attended a seminar with companies from the electric networks sector.

From 2nd to 4th July, two representatives from the Saudi Electricity Company and Dubai Electricity & Water Authority held several meetings and visited companies from the Basque energy sector, fundamentally focussed on two strategic areas for the Basque Energy Cluster: electricity grids and solar energy (photovoltaic and CSP).

During the event attended by over 1,200 international participants, the Oil&Gas Basque Industry brand was presented for the first time, grouping together the main companies in this value chain in the Basque Country.

The session organised by the Basque Energy Cluster working with the CDTI, NEDO and JWPA aimed to exchange offshore wind power experience and skills with Japan, referring to both fixed foundation versions and the emerging alternative of a floating platform. The sessions focussed on technology and pioneering projects throughout the world, such as the Wikinger project, by Iberdrola, or the Hywind Scotland project, the world’s first floating wind farm, by Norway’s Equinor, in which many Basque companies have taken part.

ICOE, the most important biennial conference in the marine energy sector, took place this year in Cherbourg at the same time as the sector's annual exhibition in France, Seanergy, from 12 to 14 June 2018. More than 1,200 people from all over the world took part in this international event. It gathered the main companies, institutions and cluster associations working in the marine energy sector.

During a mission coordinated by the ECCP, the Basque Energy Cluster talked about the strengths of the Basque wind power sector at an offshore wind power seminar organised as part of the European Innovation Week in Taiwan. It also met with several of the country's main entities involved in the development of marine energy, as part of the activities planned for the European ELBE project.