The European project NESOI Plus – New Energy Solutions Optimized for Island Outermost Regions officially launched in October 2025 in Venice with a vibrant Kick-off Meeting that brought together a diverse consortium of European partners committed to empowering island communities in their clean-energy transition.
Funded under the LIFE‑2024‑CET call by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), NESOI Plus builds directly on the legacy of the successful H2020 NESOI initiative, which previously supported over 70 green transition projects across European islands. The new project runs for 36 months, equipped with a budget of €1,745,435.20, and focuses specifically on the unique challenges of EU Outermost Regions, with three pilots respectively in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Martinique.
Despite their potential to lead in sustainable, localised energy solutions, many island territories still face difficulties caused by geographic remoteness and insular constraints. NESOI Plus aims to overcome these barriers by adapting the standardised protocol developed under NESOI to the specific conditions of these outermost islands, where three pilot initiatives will be implemented. The ambition is to create the right foundations for bottom‑up energy communities, giving local actors the technical, business, and strategic support they need to drive their own energy future.
A major innovation of NESOI Plus is the creation of a comprehensive One‑Stop‑Shop for Island Energy Communities, which will offer reference materials, practical tools, capacity‑building opportunities, matchmaking across the energy value chain, and a platform for knowledge exchange and replication. To reinforce the development of tangible energy community initiatives, the project will also launch two open calls, selecting 30 beneficiary projects across the pilot regions to receive tailored support and develop investment-ready concepts aligned with investor expectations. These selected initiatives will contribute directly to building a strong, sustainable energy pipeline for EU islands.
NESOI Plus is coordinated by SINLOC – Sistema Iniziative Locali S.p.A. (Italy) and brings together a robust consortium of organisations from across Europe: Zabala Innovation (Belgium & Spain), CERTH – Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (Greece), R2M Solution Srl (Italy), RINA Consulting S.p.A. (Italy), CRPM – Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (France), the Secretaria Regional do Turismo, Mobilidade e Infraestruturas (Azores – Portugal), Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias S.A. (Spain), the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique (Martinique – France), and FEDARENE – European Federation of Agencies and Regions for Energy and Environment (Belgium). Together, these partners contribute technical expertise, policy insight, and capacity‑building to support a more resilient, inclusive energy future for islands across the EU.
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