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Wave Hub seeks general manager
27 August 2009
Applications are being invited for one of the most exciting jobs
in the renewable energy industry - general manager of the
pioneering Wave Hub project.
The South West RDA (Regional Development Agency), which is
developing Wave Hub off the north coast of Cornwall in South West
England, is inviting applications via a dedicated website,
www.wavehubjobs.co.uk.
The post will be based in West Cornwall and the closing date for
applications is September 18.
Wave Hub is a cornerstone of the RDA's strategy to develop a
world class marine energy industry in the South West. It comprises
a giant grid-connected socket on the seabed for wave energy devices
to be tested on a scale not seen before.
The £42 million project is fully funded, has planning approval
and has already placed its first equipment orders. It will be built
next summer.
Nick Harrington, head of marine energy at the South West RDA,
said: "This is an exciting and challenging role because Wave Hub is
a world-first. The ideal candidate will have a strong engineering
background and will combine technical expertise with general
management and communications skills. Above all they will have the
appetite to blaze a trail in a fledgling industry and find ways of
doing things that have never been done before."
The general manager will be responsible for leading all aspects
of the project including the safe and efficient operation of Wave
Hub and the recruitment of three staff who will comprise the Wave
Hub operations team.
Wave Hub is being funded with £12.5 million from the South West
RDA, £20 million from the European Regional Development Fund and
£9.5 million from the UK government.
The South West was designated the UK's first Low Carbon Economic
Area because of its strength in marine energy in July, attracting a
further £10 million of UK government investment for projects that
will support the industry.
With government, RDA and European funding, the total investment
in the South West's marine energy programme in the next two years
is expected to top £100 million, putting the region at the
forefront of this emerging global industry.
Ends
Notes to Editors
1. Images: an artist's impression of Wave Hub can be downloaded
at www.flickr.com/photos/southwestengland. Scroll down the right
hand side of the screen and click on the 'Wave Hub' set.
2. The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable
economy, investing to unlock the region's business potential. It is
helping companies respond to the economic crisis and charts a
course for recovery. The RDA is developing or expanding initiatives
which include: establishing a Business Loan Fund; coordinating the
response to large companies in difficulty; preparing for economic
recovery.
3. Wave Hub is a major marine renewables infrastructure project
that will create an electrical 'socket' on the seabed in some 50
metres of water around 10 miles off the coast of Cornwall in South
West England and connected to the National Grid via a subsea cable.
Groups of wave energy devices will be connected to Wave Hub and
float on or just below the surface of the sea to assess how well
they work and how much power they generate before going into full
commercial production. There are four berths available at Wave Hub,
each covering two square kilometres. Wave Hub will have an initial
maximum capacity of 20MW (enough electricity to power approximately
7,000 homes) but has been designed with the potential to scale up
to 50MW in the future. The project will be built in the summer of
2010 with the first wave energy devices expected to be deployed in
2011.
4. An independent economic impact assessment has calculated that
Wave Hub could create 1,800 jobs and inject £560 million in the UK
economy over 25 years. Almost 1,000 of these jobs and £332 million
could be generated in the South West.
5. Legal agreements have been signed with leading renewable
energy company Ocean Power Technologies Limited to take the first
berth at Wave Hub using its PowerBuoy wave energy converter. Images
of PowerBuoy can be downloaded at
www.flickr.com/photos/southwestengland
6. JDR Cable Systems Ltd has been appointed to manufacture the
26.5 km (16.5 mile) cable and hub assembly for Wave Hub at its
factory in Hartlepool in a contract worth £7.6 million.
7. Powermann Ltd of Poole in Dorset has been appointed to handle
the £1 million onshore electrical works that will connect Wave Hub
to the UK's National Grid network. The remaining packages of work
are expected to be let before the end of the year.
8. The RDA has awarded a research and development grant of
£229,000 to wave device developer Orecon in Bodmin, Cornwall, with
a view to the company coming to Wave Hub in the future.
Contact Details
Name Jason Clark
Tel 01208 77900
Email jason.clark@dca-pr.co.uk