The project focused on strengthening the regional production of biomass as a source of bio energy. A substantiated and consolidated investment plan based on commercially viable bio-energy supply chains was presented and implemented. The business model was applied in parallel to differentiated blue-green energy clusters in the North Sea Region and ensured transfer of management expertise between the clusters and identified market interdependences.

The aim was to enable the successful further exploitation of the region's blue-green low carbon energy sources by integrating the biomass grower at one end and the energy producer at the other end. enercoast thereby opened new sources of bio energy, reduced the regional dependency of energy imports and increased the competitiveness of regional energy producers as well ensured their income in a long-term perspective.

Aim
Key aims of the project were to:

• Reduce regional dependency on imported energy through activation of domestic resources
• Intensify co-operation between producers of biomass, waste management and energy infrastructure authorities and stakeholders
• Diversify the deployment of alternative bio energy resources in respect of environmental criteria
• Boost regional bio energy production through enhanced supply chain economics
• Strengthen the energy co-operation within the Region's coastal societies
• Deliver a clear North Sea regional contribution to the EU renewable energy target.

Background
"The EU currently meets 4% of its energy needs from biomass. If it made full use of its potential, it would more than double biomass use by 2010 - while complying with good agricultural practice, safeguarding sustainable production of biomass and without significantly affecting domestic food production" (Biomass Action Plan SEC(2005) 1573).

Capturing the potential of bluegreen energy is a key contribution to attaining the EU's 20/20 renewable energy target.

However, a key characteristic of renewable energy is that in contrast to the conventional power plants and their associated continental grids renewable are a decentralised energy form.

Transnational cooperation can play a major and cost-effective role in capitalising on the North Sea Region's diversified but largely unaligned renewable expertise, especially in respect of the under-potential deployment of bio energy resources.

The enercoast strategy was one of applying proven supply chain management methodology and tools to the underdeveloped bio energy market in a North Sea Region context. The project's focus was clearly set on a defined range of regional bio energy market initiatives and their transformation into sustainable value chains. Supply Chain Management (SCM) features an integrative approach to dealing with the planning and control of the material flows from suppliers to end-users and focuses on a network of firms interacting to deliver a product or service to the end customer, linking flows from raw material supply to final delivery.

• A North Sea bio energy market network including operative bio energy supply chains
• Cross-national adoption of partner solutions via the business model
• Implementation of development agendas through commercial mobilisation of bio-energy resources for the North Sea Region
• Business model: business optimization strategies and investment plans for bio-energy infrastructure in regions
• Bio energy supply chains analysis and mobilization strategies.