"The technology is not yet at the commercial stage. This means there are still technical issues to be resolved from the standpoint of [equipment] survival, because the positive costs must survive the harsh sea conditions," he explained.

Luís Gato was speaking at the opening of the 16th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC2025), organized by the Instituto Superior Técnico (Technical Institute), which runs in Funchal, Madeira, until Thursday. It will bring together around 400 participants from research, industry, investment, and public policy in the sector, coming from Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

"We are in the research and development phase at the national and international level," he said, adding: "We have a research group at the Instituto Superior Técnico, which is internationally renowned, and we work in cooperation with European universities and projects from other regions."

The goal, he explained, is to develop marine renewable energy, especially from waves and currents, which are "highly predictable," and to produce electricity on a "large scale."

Luís Gato said that these are currently pilot projects, and there hasn't yet been a convergence of technology to standardise the equipment, as occurred with wind turbines, whose foundations now rely on a horizontal axis and three blades.

"We're not in a truly commercial phase (...), as is the case with wind turbines," he said, before adding: "Perhaps we need another 20 years to become commercial."

The official considered that the world's energy needs are constantly increasing and that, on the other hand, achieving decarbonisation goals will require the use of all renewable energy sources, even if they come at a higher price.

"We know that there is a relationship between Gross Domestic Product and energy consumption, and this means that as countries develop, they require more and more energy," he explained, emphasising that this pressure is currently being felt by China, but also by India and other countries.

"The outlook is that energy is a resource that must be conserved and will never be cheap. Energy prices will tend to increase," he warned.

Luís Gato said that choosing Madeira as the venue for the 16th European Conference on Wave and Tidal Energy was intended to "draw the attention" of industry leaders, especially policymakers, to the importance of marine renewable energy, as well as to enhance the involvement of the region, universities, and companies in future projects.

"The country, including Madeira and the Azores, has a large exclusive economic zone and boasts a very abundant resource in the sea," he emphasized.

The regional director of Environment and the Sea, Manuel Ara Oliveira, stated that Madeira is "open to innovation" and highlighted some areas in which the region was a pioneer, such as the installation of the country's first wind farm in 1986 on the island of Porto Santo.

"In renewable energy, Madeira has taken risks. Things don't always go as well as we hoped, but in fact, in most cases, it's been very positive," he said.

In the case of wave and tidal energy, he said there are also opportunities for "mature projects."

"We need to tread our path seriously, for safety reasons and also for economic and social reasons," he warned.