UK’s first marine energy park
Wind and tidal energy are set to become more commercially viable
The UK is creating its first Marine Energy Park (MEP) in line with the government’s low carbon agenda and with the aim of helping to make wind and tidal power more commercially viable.
The announcement was made by Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker this week and follows recent news that the government will be injecting even more funding into the marine renewable energy sector.
The area will cover an area from Bristol to Cornwall and will include the Wave Hub testing facility - which was taken on by the UK government last month.
The MEP will be a partnership between local and national government, local enterprise partnerships, the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter, the wave and tidal industry and port authorities – who will be actively involved in the process.
Robert Norris, spokesperson at RenewableUK, the trade association for the wind, wave and tidal industry, said to GreenPort: “It is important to get ports involved in the process because it’s in line with the government wanting to improve port infrastructure which ties in with the low carbon agenda."
The MEP could generate up to 27 gigawatts of electricity by 2050. Its focus will be on marine energy deployment, innovation and industry growth.
RenewableUK's research has shown that a properly supported marine energy sector could generate up to 15,000 jobs by 2021 and provide a boost to the UK's economy of over £3.7 billion.
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