Aim Energetic Algae aims to reduce CO2 emissions and dependency on unsustainable energy sources in NWE. by accelerating the development of sustainable technologies for algal biomass production. bioenergy and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation from pilot phase to application and marketable products. processes and services. This is achieved by bundling know-how. finance and political support. The planned actions address the IVB NWE Strategic Initiative fields of action 2A) “Addressing challenges / barriers related to specific sustainable energy technologies” and 2B) “Bringing forward innovative approaches to sustainable energy promotion and management”. Why? EC legislation to increase the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources (EC Directive 2009/28/EC) provides a clear incentive for NWE to reduce its current reliance on fossil fuels. In 2008. the NWE territory accounted for > 40% of total EU27 GHG emissions (EC GHG Inventory. 2009). It is timely to develop sustainable algal biotechnologies as part of an integrated NWE strategy for bioenergy production and GHG mitigation. When considering bioenergy crops for NWE. territorial challenges are imposed by intensive land use and diverse physical environments. Algal biotechnologies address this because algae do not compete for food crop resources. can mitigate GHG’s and are adaptable to diverse environments. How? An integrated network of pilot scale algal facilities serves to develop and exchange best practices for algal biomass and bioenergy. tailored to prevailing operating conditions in NWE. Inputs from from policy makers. regulators. operators. related EC Framework projects. European biomass associations . NGOs and the public will develop a sectoral technology roadmap. An ICT decision support tool is implemented to guide sustainable expansion of the algal bioenergy sector in NWE. All outputs are publicly available during and after the project ending . Achievements: The project Energetic Algae (ENALGAE) promotes best practice for a sustainable and viable algae industry in Europe, for example, through the advocacy of standardised methods. Micro-algae are a group of single-celled aquatic organisms capable of converting carbon dioxide, light, water and other compounds into potentially viable biomass. By culturing microalgae intensively in discrete growth chambers installed adjacent to chimney stacks, this innovative technology provides a novel approach to locking away carbon as components of living cells. The methodology has been replicate throughout North-West Europe, and it has been shown to be successful in relation to: hatchery conditions, light, water, cleaning the seaweed, successful cultures, and creating successful biomass at sea.ENALGAE’s first pilot micro-algal bacterial flocs reactor, which is located in Flanders (BE), is now a worldwide reference in the field, and NWE’s experience in coastal management cooperation has been very helpful to develop potential businesses. For instance, two of the project’s final beneficiaries are now planning to set up their own businesses in this field. The project partnership is helping them to find the best technologies and the investments they need.the local environment and communities.