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South West named global leader for marine energy
15 July 2009
- Region is UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area
- Investment in marine renewables will top £100m
- Wave Hub gets the official go ahead
The South West of England will become a world centre for wave
and tidal energy under plans published by the UK Government
today.
The region has been designated as the UK's first Low Carbon
Economic Area because of its strength in marine energy.
The UK Government will make £19.5 million available as part of a
£100 million two-year investment programme in marine renewables
being led by the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency).
The Government investment includes £9.5 million for the RDA's
pioneering Wave Hub project, which received the official go-ahead
from the South West RDA today and could create more than 1,800 jobs
in the UK. A further £10 million has been made available for the
RDA to support other marine energy projects in the South West.
The ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence
Programme also announced today that it will invest £20 million in
Wave Hub, which will be commissioned next summer. The first
equipment orders have been placed this week.
With government, RDA, European and private sector funding, 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.
Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and
Skills, named the South West as the UK's first Low Carbon Economic
Area at the launch of the Government's Low Carbon Industrial
Strategy in London today. (July 15)
Stephen Peacock, Enterprise and Innovation Executive Director at
the South West RDA said: "This is about a new industry and new
jobs, and the South West's critical role in building a greener
global economy. Being identified as the UK's first Low Carbon
Economic Area is a tremendous accolade and recognition of our
commitment to develop this unprecedented economic opportunity. We
want to forge a new industry from the seas around our shores and
today's announcements cement our position as a global leader in
wave and tidal technologies.
"We also welcome the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy which sets
out a range of opportunities to ensure that we take advantage of a
global market for low carbon products and services that could be
worth £4.3 trillion by 2015."
The announcements mark a significant milestone in the Wave Hub
project, a giant grid-connected socket on the seabed off the coast
of Cornwall for wave energy devices to be tested on a scale not
seen before. The South West RDA has today confirmed:
- Total Wave Hub project now valued at £42 million, with funding
secured from the UK Government (£9.5m), ERDF (£20m) and the RDA
(£12.5m).
- The project has the capacity to generate 20MW of green
electricity with the potential to be scaled up to 50MW in the
future.
- Legal agreements signed with leading renewable energy company
Ocean Power Technologies Limited ("OPT") to take the first berth at
Wave Hub using its PowerBuoy wave energy converter.
- 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 new
factory in Hartlepool in a contract worth £7.6 million.
- RDA research and development grant of £229,000 awarded to wave
device developer Orecon in Bodmin, Cornwall, with a view to the
company coming to Wave Hub in the future.
- Contract for onshore electrical package expected to be let in
the next few weeks.
- Applications being invited for the position of Wave Hub
general manager, who will lead the operation of Wave Hub.
The RDA's Stephen Peacock added: "It's all systems go for Wave
Hub. We have our consent, our funding, and our first developer
signed up. Ocean Power Technologies has been working with us from
the start and are one of the world's leading wave energy companies.
We're delighted to have them on board."
Angus Norman, Chief Executive of OPT Ltd, said: "OPT has
provided unwavering support to Wave Hub and the South West region's
vision to create a world-class centre for the marine energy
industry over the past five years. As a result, we are proud to be
the first to sign a Commitment Agreement to make this project a
commercial reality. With major new funding and final approval
today, Wave Hub is sure to become a global showcase for wave power
technology and means that it is now gaining momentum as a viable
source of renewable energy."
Carolyn Rule, Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration at
Cornwall Council, said: "Today's announcements mark a huge
investment in Cornwall's low carbon economy and put us at the
forefront of green energy and green job creation, both of which are
priorities for Cornwall Council and our partners."
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office
for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "The Convergence
Programmes for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly recognise the
importance of the environment as an economic driver. Cornwall's
economic development strategy complements the low carbon aspiration
of the region in delivering real change on the ground. These
announcements and investment from the ERDF Convergence Programme
are the continuation of a journey to re-engineer our economy to
exploit the opportunities in a global market which is estimated at
trillions of dollars over the next few years."
An independent economic impact assessment of Wave Hub,
commissioned by the RDA, has shown that it could create 1,800 jobs
and £560 million in the UK economy over 25 years. Almost 1,000 of
these jobs and £332 million could be generated in South West
England.
The South West's marine energy industry is supported by the £15
million Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy
(PRIMaRE), set up two years ago by the Universities of Exeter and
Plymouth with funding from the South West RDA and Europe. It offers
world-leading expertise at the cutting edge of the industry and
already boasts 15 world-class academic staff, 60 researchers and a
dedicated technology transfer team that works with businesses to
support high quality job creation.
Today's announcements form part of the Government's Low Carbon
Industrial Strategy and coincide with a suite of other policy
announcements including publication of the Government's energy and
climate change White Paper, Renewable Energy Strategy and Carbon
Reduction Strategy for Transport, which together form a low carbon
transition plan to decarbonise Britain's economy, cut emissions and
meet renewable energy targets.
Ministers have also published their response to the Severn
Estuary tidal power consultation held earlier this year, confirming
more work on the potential impact of the five schemes under
consideration. They also announced the recipients of £500,000 of
funding - including £125,000 from the South West RDA - to work up
three embryonic Severn proposals that have potentially less impact
on the estuary environment than conventional technologies.
A second public consultation is likely to be held next year on
whether or not the UK should support the building of a Severn tidal
power scheme.
Regional Minister for the South West, Jim Knight said: "I
welcome today's announcement to make the South West the UK's first
Low Carbon Economic Area. We are a region that is rich in natural
renewable energy resources such as wind, wave, tidal and solar and
this makes us well positioned to capitalise on this great
opportunity."
Ends
For more information contact Jason Clark, on 01208-77900 or
via
jason@dca-pr.co.uk
Notes to Editors
1. Images: show a new artist's impression of the Wave Hub
project, linked to shore by a subsea cable (in red) with different
types of wave energy devices attached to the hub. Also attached are
low resolution photographs of OPT's PowerBuoy wave energy
converter. High resolution versions are available from
laura.tregonning@dca-pr.co.uk
or download at www.flickr.com/photos/southwestengland
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.More information can be found at www.southwestrda.org.uk.
3. Ocean Power Technologies is a pioneer in wave-energy
technology that harnesses ocean wave resources to generate
reliable, clean, and environmentally-beneficial electricity. OPT
has a strong track record in harnessing wave energy and
participates in a $150 billion annual power generation equipment
market. The Company's proprietary PowerBuoy® system is based on
modular, ocean-going buoys that capture and convert predictable
wave energy into low-cost, clean electricity. The Company is widely
recognised as a leading developer of on-grid and autonomous
wave-energy generation systems, benefiting from over a decade of
in-ocean experience. OPT's technology and systems are insured by
Lloyds Underwriters of London. OPT has offices in Warwick, UK and
Pennington, NJ. More information can be found at www.oceanpowertechnologies.com.
4. Convergence programmes: In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
the Convergence programmes are made up of European Regional
Development Fund (£347 million) and European Social Fund (£153
million) Convergence Programmes will run until 2013 and follow the
successful Objective One Programme and prior to that Objective 5b.
For further information see: www.convergencecornwall.com
5. £100 million investment in the marine renewables industry in
the South West over the next two years includes £42 million in Wave
Hub, £15 million in PRIMaRE, £10 million additional support
announced today from UK Government (excluding Wave Hub), £4.5
million in business support and supply chain development plus
further anticipated investment from the RDA, European Regional
Development Fund and private sector in a range of emerging projects
including marine renewables related business premises and port
infrastructure.
6. 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.
Contact Details
Name: Jason Clark
Tel: 01208-77900
Email: jason.clark@dca-pr.co.uk