The company plans to deploy a 1.2MW tidal power generating machine – England’s largest – in 2014, following consultation, environmental studies and permitting. 

Pulse chief executive Bob Smith says:  “Since deploying our first demonstration device in 2009, the Pulse Team has made tremendous progress in developing our technology at a commercial scale. I am delighted that the Crown Estate has recognized this with the award of this AFL.”

“The chosen site off Lynmouth is a very attractive location for us with a great tidal resource and a nearby grid connection. It was the site for an earlier consented tidal power project so we already know a great deal about it. Lynmouth is also part of the South West Marine Energy Park, which provides access to local businesses and research facilities to provide an ideal environment for the development of our tidal power system.”

Pulse’s system, known as Pulse-Stream, operates in tidal currents, which move horizontal blades up and down to drive a generator.  During operation, the system sits on the sea-bed and is fully submerged even in shallow water. However, for maintenance, the system can come to the surface without the need for cranes and complicated offshore vessels – making maintenance work very simple.

The company had previously considered a number of other UK locations for deployment of this first commercial-scale machine, but the imminent introduction of 5 ROCS revenue support for England & Wales, and creation of the Marine Energy Park, means that the South West is now the most attractive location for Pulse.

Johnny Gowdy, Director, Regen SW said “The Pulse-Stream project will be a splendid addition to the range of marine energy technologies being developed within the South West – we are delighted that Pulse Tidal has chosen the South West Marine Energy Park as a base to demonstrate its next generation technology. This could be the catalyst for a very exciting tidal stream programme which will link to the research being done within our regional universities and attract further technology developers and investors. Ultimately technologies such as Pulse-Stream could unlock the huge tidal stream energy potential of the Bristol Channel and other sites around the UK.”

Shallow water location favours Pulse device

The Pulse-Stream tidal power generator has a different design from that used by many competitors. This allows it to be deployed into very shallow water sites such as Lynmouth, while still generating commercially attractive power.

Says Pulse CTO Marc Paish “Tidal power is at an early stage of development and is hence more expensive than other forms of renewable energy. One of the key opportunities to reduce the cost of tidal power is scaling up the power output of each machine. Pulse-Stream has a big advantage here because a single machine can produce 3 – 4 times the power of other designs in any water depth.”

Marc goes on “Lynmouth is a great demonstration of this as it is relatively shallow – at only 18m – and yet Pulse-Stream can produce 1.2MW there. Such a high power output in very shallow water close to shore gives us the chance to significantly reduce the cost of the energy and to exploit the significant tidal energy resources available in places such as the Bristol Channel which are also close to areas of high energy demand.”

Local Engagement is a Key Priority

Securing the Agreement to Lease is the first step in the process of obtaining permission to deploy the Pulse-Stream machine at Lynmouth. Over the coming months, the Pulse team will be working with local authorities, businesses and communities, as well as environmental organisations and permitting authorities to ensure that a the Lynmouth tidal power project benefits as many people as possible and becomes a powerful demonstration of the benefits available through a Marine Energy Park.

“The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership welcomes Pulse Tidal to the South West Marine Energy Park and looks forward to working  with them to make their project a success and to deliver jobs and business opportunities for the south west”  Nicholas Ames – Heart of South West LEP

“We are delighted to see the potential return of tidal energy technology off the coast of North Devon. The lease award announced today is the start of the planning process; the council will be working closely with Pulse Tidal and local stakeholders to ensure that the project meets our objectives to support sustainable energy projects for the benefit of the North Devon economy”. Malcolm Prowse, Lead Member for Economy and Regeneration, North Devon Council

Fred Olsen’s BOLT “Lifesaver” wave energy converter, which is ultimately capable of producing clean and efficient electricity, is now being tested in the sheltered waters off FalmouthBay, with easy access to the shore.

Cornwall has cemented a growing international reputation for leadership in marine energy research and development, with the Fred Olsen installation a real success story for the industry. The device was manufactured at A&P Falmouth, one of theUK’s leading shipyards, will be tested at FaB Test, part of the South West Marine Energy Park, and potentially deployed in more energetic offshore waters at the grid connected Wave Hub site off the Cornish coast near Hayle.

In January the South West was named as theUK’s firstMarine Energy Park, creating a collaborative partnership between commercial and academic organisations, with the aim of speed up the progress of marine power development.

Wave and tidal energy has the potential to generate up to 27GW of power in the UK alone by 2050, equivalent to the power generated from 8 coal-fired power stations.  A study commissioned by the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) and published in 2010 calculated there are sufficient marine energy resources for commercial use within 50 km of the South West coast to deliver 9.2 Giga Watts (GW) of electricity, equivalent to the annual needs of 20% of UK households, or 5% of the UK’s electricity needs by 2030.

The unique FaB Test site, which is not connected to the grid, gives developers the chance to test devices in a near shore environment that is easily accessible. Tests include investigating structural integrity, response behaviour, mooring/umbilical behaviour, subsea components, monitoring systems and deployment procedures in moderate sea conditions.

It is a stepping stone to the deployment of arrays of devices at Wave Hub, the world’s largest grid-connected wave energy demonstration facility installed 16 kilometres off the north coast o fCornwall in 2010.

FaB Test was created as a partnership project between Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC), Wave Hub, the University of Exeter, A&P Group, Cornwall Marine Network and Mojo Maritime, all of whom provide advice, expertise and support to the industry. The integrated test site is around a mile south of St Anthony Head and can also test floating wind energy devices.

(FHC) and The Crown Estate have signed a lease to create FaB Test, and the site has been issued with a license by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), which allows the mooring of marine energy converter devices. The management of the site will be undertaken by a partnership between FHC and the University of Exeter.

David Ellis, Chairman of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, said: “The deployment of the BOLT “Lifesaver” device is an historic moment, not only for Falmouth but for the entire marine renewable sector in the South West.

“We set up FaB Test in response to demand from industry and are proud to have been instrumental in getting this groundbreaking project up and running. It is the only example of which we are aware of a harbour authority taking out a Crown Estate lease for the purposes of testing marine energy devices – it is very unusual.

“FaB Test means we can offer a streamlined approval process for individual devices to be deployed in an area with a range of depth and seabed types in a location that does not interfere with marine traffic.

“The pre-consented area in Falmouth Bay is licensed to test up to three devices at a time. Judging by the high level of interest, we expect there will be a steady stream of device deployments to follow.”

Tore Gulli, Project Director, of Fred. Olsen Ltd., said: “Through the extensive marine experiences of Fred. Olsen related companies we have learned the considerable value that detailed, careful sea testing of new marine devices offers projects such as BOLT “Lifesaver”. We very much welcome the initiative from Falmouth Harbour Commission, University of Exeter and the other partners to make the FaB Test a reality. We are proud to be the first user of the facility seeing our wave energy converter deployed successfully.”

Paul Weston, Marine Renewable Projects Manager, of A&P Falmouth, said: “As a company recognised for working at the forefront of the marine renewables sector, A&P Falmouth is delighted to have been involved in this exciting project with Fred Olsen over the past year.

“Working closely with Fred Olsen, our highly skilled employees carried out the manufacture and steel fabrication of the device, while maintaining a production engineering cost analysis designed to reduce the cost of energy.

“We believe the South West is realising its objective to become a leading region in marine renewable energy and are perfectly positioned to support the development and growth of the sector.”

Wave Hub General Manager Claire Gibson, said: “This deployment is a real milestone for Cornwall’s marine energy industry and the partnership between the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, local companies and academic expertise has been key to enabling this to happen. It reinforces the status of South West England as theUK’s first Marine Energy Park. We hope the Lifesaver trials at FabTest go well and look forward to welcoming Fred Olsen at Wave Hub for grid-connected trials of an array of Lifesavers in the near future. ”

Chris Pomfret, Chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Green energy and particularly realising the potential from the marine environment is a real opportunity forCornwall where we should be in the vanguard of world development. FaB Test and Wave Hub are key assets and are significant parts of the South West Marine Energy Park. It will be a great step forward if the test results are positive.”

Rob Hastings, Director of Energy and Infrastructure, The Crown Estate said: “This is excellent news for the industry.  As it makes the transition from technology R&D to commercial project development, further technology testing is essential and FaB Test is playing an important role. The Crown Estate is also pleased to be working with RegenSW and other stakeholders in the south west of England to start planning for commercial-scale wave and tidal project development in the future.”

For industry enquiries about FaB Test please email info@fabtest.co.uk

That budget will be used to fund the Marine Energy Array Demonstrator (MEAD) Scheme. The MEAD will support up to 2 pre-commercial projects to demonstrate the operation of wave and/or tidal devices in array formation for an extended period of time. By supporting the sector as it moves from single device prototypes to first arrays of full-scale devices, the MEAD will build confidence in the technology as a viable option to produce bulk electricity and in its potential contribution to the long-term deployment of renewable energy.

Claire Gibson, Wave Hub’s General Manager commented, “Earlier this year MPs said that funding support for the first arrays would be critical to the UK capturing the huge potential of wave and tidal energy, so it’s good news that this long-awaited competition has been launched. Wave Hub is specifically designed for wave array testing and is uniquely placed to attract this sort of activity. We are now talking to device developers about how this fund could assist their planned deployments at Wave Hub.”

Award of MEAD funds will be subject to prior State Aid approval.  DECC is currently applying for State Aid clearance for the scheme and will seek clearance to cumulate the grant funding with the relevant Government’s revenue support.

To encourage technology acceleration in marine energy this call will focus on those projects that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The array must expect to generate at least 7 GWh per year when complete and must include at least three generating devices.  We expect this to equate to a capacity factor of at least 3MW.  Larger arrays at or in excess of 10GWh annual energy production will be assessed more favourably and we expect to support arrays of between 5MW and 10MW nameplate capacity. 
• The technology used must have been previously demonstrated at full-scale in real-sea conditions with comparable resource to the project site and using devices of equivalent design and scale to those to be installed in the MEAD project.
• The technology used in the MEAD project must be manifestly similar in scale and concept to devices that will be installed in future commercial arrays. 
• Project planning must be underway such that the complete project can be energised by 31 March 2016 at the latest. At the time of application: 
  • The project site must have an in-principle grid-connection lined up, with connection to have been completed before 31 March 2016
  • The project must hold an agreement for lease for a wave and/or tidal array at the site from the relevant leasing body (probably The Crown Estate). 
  • Application for planning consents must be well underway, with at least a formal scoping letter from the relevant consenting body or bodies available at the application date. To achieve this we expect that baseline environmental monitoring will have already commenced. 
• The project site must be entirely within UK territorial waters and must supply electricity to the UK grid. 
• Arrays awarded MEAD funding are expected to operate for a minimum of 2 years. (Although we expect arrays to operate for up to 20 years, and to provide a commercial return based on sale of electricity and revenue support).

Next steps

Pre-submission briefing

A pre-submission briefing will be held in London on 2 May 2012, 14:00 to 17:00 to provide applicants with further information on the purpose of the scheme, project scope, eligibility criteria and to answer any other questions in relation to this call.

Please register for this event by emailing Innovation@decc.gsi.gov.uk by 1200pm 20 April 2012. (Please include the text MEAD in the email subject line.)

Application Deadline

The closing date for applications will be 1200pm, 1 June 2012.

An electronic copy of the application and any attachments must be submitted by this deadline. There are no exceptions to this. In addition to this, applicants must also return one signed paper copy of the completed application form, as well as one hard copy of any attachments, within 10 working days of the application deadline. 

Applications should be addressed to Bart de Leeuw at Innovation@decc.gsi.gov.uk Please include the text ‘MEAD Application (Project Title, Lead Applicant)’ in the email subject line. The paper copy should be addressed to:

Bart de Leeuw,
Innovation Delivery Team
Department of Energy & Climate Change
Floor 6E, 3 Whitehall Place
London,  SW1A 2AW

The application form, including the guidance notes for applicants, is available to download from: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/wave_tidal/funding/mead/

Energy Minister Greg Barker last night agreed to an emergency summit against fears that gold-plated regulations are stopping wave energy developers getting into the water.

The sector is vital to transforming the economy of the South West, which was named the UK’s first Marine Energy Park last month.

Ministers believe the status will drive the creation of 5,000 jobs in the sector in the region by 2017 – a tenfold increase on today.

In the Commons, Mr Barker was urged to intervene to get bureaucrats “off the back” of developers anxious to test their devices off the coast of Devon and Cornwall.

Mr Barker said in the Westminster Hall debate: “I am not complacent about the need to bring down more barriers impeding developers and drive the sector forward.”

The pledge came amid concern at the top level of Government that Brussels environmental edicts are holding back job growth in the UK.

Westcountry MP George Eustice, who secured the debate, told fellow Members that Britain should adopt a lighter approach to licensing of offshore testing pioneered in Norway.

Developers in Scandinavia are afforded considerable dispensation for small test sites, while in the UK they face “onerous” regulations from the Crown Estate and the Marine Management Organisation quango, he said.

“If we are to make this Marine Energy Park work I really do think a key component of that is dismantling the barriers standing in the way of these marine energy developers,” said Mr Eustice, Tory MP for Camborne and Redruth, whose constituency includes the Wave Hub energy terminal off the Cornish coast.

“These are people taking tremendous risks to pioneer the industry – sometimes investing tens of millions of pounds to develop this technology – the very least we can do as government in control of these agencies is make sure these agencies get off people’s backs and allow them to get ahead.”

Cornwall and Devon stand to reap a massive jobs boost from harnessing the power of waves and tides as Marine Energy Park status means the region will be the sector’s focal point in the UK.

The “virtual” marine park, spread across sites in Devon, Cornwall and Bristol, could see energy devices developed in the region exported to China and South America.

The park will gravitate around the ports of Falmouth, Hayle, Plymouth and Bristol. But Cornwall’s Wave Hub, a wave energy “nursery” in Falmouth bay and research facilities at Plymouth and Exeter universities are all key.

Yet many in the sector warn progress is slow, and the cross-party Energy Select Committee last week said it feared the UK risks squandering its lead globally.

The Wave Hub, for instance, was first mooted in 2004 and the terminal only laid foundations off the coast last year. Yet developers wanting to “plug” their devices into Wave Hub “socket” will have to jump many of the same hurdles.

And Mr Eustice contends harbour masters should be giving consent to devices in the Falmouth bay test “nursery”, rather than remote officials in Whitehall.

Mr Barker yesterday re-iterated his belief that the South West could become the marine equivalent of Silicon Valley, the California technology community that gave birth to Apple, Microsoft and Google.

He said the Government’s Marine Energy Programme Board was already demanding decisions on planning and consenting small testing sites are fast-tracked, and revealed the licensing process is under review.

He said: “I have asked the Marine Management Organisation and Marine Scotland to work together to make sure the licensing process is as efficient as possible while maintaining the necessary level of protection for the environment.”

Mr Barker agreed to meet Mr Eustice and Wave Hub bosses to “thrash out the details” over red tape.

On Tuesday, David Cameron forced his Cabinet to confront failures in the Government’s jobs strategy, and accused the Department for Environment (Defra) of being too slow to review implementing EU habitats and wild birds directives, which critics say impose burdens on companies.

As reported in the Western Morning News 01.03.2012

The project will see the design, construction and installation of a floating system demonstrator by 2016 at a site with high wind speeds up to about 10 metres per second in water between 60 and 100 metres deep.

It will be operated for at least two years to show it can generate high levels of electricity, be maintained without using specially designed vessels and to verify the predicted technical and economic performance.

Wave Hub consists of a gird-connected ‘socket’ on the seabed approximately 10 nautical miles off the north coast ofCornwallin South West England.

Designed to test arrays of wave energy devices in eight square kilometres of sea, it has been commissioned by the ETI to complete a study to investigate whether the waters around Wave Hub would be suitable for testing floating wind turbines as part of the project.

It is estimated that theUKhas over a third ofEurope’s potential offshore wind resource – enough to power the country nearly three times over. Tapping into this economically, particularly in deeper waters off the west coast of theUK, will require significant technology developments and floating wind could be a solution.

Wave Hub has four berths in total. Two of these have already been reserved by wave device developers Ocean Energy Limited of Ireland and Ocean Power Technologies, based in the US and UK. Two berths remain, each measuring one kilometre by two kilometres.

Dr David Clarke, ETI Chief Executive said: “The ETI is seeking potential sites to host the demonstration project and we will be working with Wave Hub to see if it could be suitable for hosting the offshore wind floating platform.  This is a challenging project and will need local marine engineering skills and support facilities as well as the right water and wind conditions.

“The concept for the floating platforms is to be able to access near-to-shore, high wind speed sites off the west coast of theUKwhich would bring down the cost of generating electricity so the Wave Hub site offers some interesting possibilities.”

Claire Gibson, Wave Hub General Manager, said: “We have commissioned a study to investigate whether the Wave Hub site is suitable for testing floating wind turbines in response to the approach made by ETI.  This study will establish whether the site has the necessary characteristics and if a single wind turbine demonstrator project is deliverable at Wave Hub. 

“We have a particular advantage in that the offshore grid infrastructure and onshore substation are already in place, and we also have a team that has experience of managing the design, consent and installation of offshore energy projects.  We clearly need to consult with a wide range of groups and other sea users about this opportunity and this forms an important part of the study.”

The feasibility study is being funded by the ETI and carried out by Halcrow.  It is expected to be completed before the summer.

The ETI’s Request for Proposals for companies interested in taking part in the demonstration project closed on 27 January with a high level of interest from organisations in theUK,Europeand beyond.

The selection process has now started and it is expected that the contract will be awarded early next year.

A study commissioned by the South WestRDA(Regional Development Agency) and published in 2010 calculated there are sufficient marine energy resources for commercial use within 50 km of the South West coast to deliver 9.2 Giga Watts (GW) of electricity, equivalent to the annual needs of 20% of UK households, or 5% of the UK’s electricity needs by 2030.

Of this, 2.5GW could come from deep-water floating windfarms, 1.2GW from wave energy, 1.1GW from tidal stream, and 4.4GW from offshore wind, much of it from two existing offshore windfarms planned in the Bristol Channel and off theDorsetcoast.

The Government recently announcement that South West England is theUK’s firstMarineEnergyPark.  This embraces the opportunity of generating offshore wind in addition to wave and tidal energy. 

Anyone interested in receiving details of future RfPs issued by the ETI can sign up to the RSS feed on the ETI website at http://www.energytechnologies.co.uk/ETINewsRSS.rss, subscribe to receive the ETI’s newsletters by emailing info@eti.co.uk or follow the ETI on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_eti

• CCC calls for more ambitious targets for growth of marine renewables
• Revenue certainty needed if the industry is to generate up to 68,000 jobs
• Siemens announces further investment in UK wave and tidal sector

RenewableUK, the renewable energy trade association, has welcomed a new report by the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee which calls for an increase in the deployment of wave and tidal power.

The Committee Chairman Tim Yeo MP said “Britannia really could rule the waves when it comes to marine renewable energy”.

The Committee calls for the Government to set more ambitious targets for the wave and tidal sector, and to provide greater revenue certainty, in order to maximise the likelihood of the UK benefitting from a lucrative export market in clean energy technology. RenewableUK’s research has revealed that by 2020 the industry could have a value of up to £3.7 billion.

RenewableUK’s Director of Policy, Dr Gordon Edge, said:

“The marine energy industry is now on the threshold of commercial viability, and the Committee’s report contains important recommendations which, if implemented, will help push it towards becoming a major part of our electricity generation system. In particular, we welcome the Committee’s recognition that any failure to help the industry live up to its promise could lead to other countries stealing the UK’s current global lead. We can’t afford to have innovation and manufacturing in hi-tech industries go overseas”.

Government proposals for revenue support for wave and tidal power do not yet extend beyond 2017, leaving a question mark over the industry’s future.

“Certainty is the watchword for securing the investment marine energy will require to become a major power source. We don’t yet have that certainty, and the Committee’s call for long-term clarity on Government support for marine energy is timely,” concluded Dr Edge.

His comments follow the announcement on Friday that Siemens has strengthened its commitment to UK’s wave and tidal sector by acquiring a majority stake in the Bristol-base company Marine Current Turbines, which develops and builds tidal power systems. The company described the move as an important step forward in the commercialisation of a promising technology.

This means that two of Wave Hub’s four berths off Hayle on the north coast of Cornwall in South West England have now been reserved. US and UK-based Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has already signed a commitment agreement to deploy its PowerBuoy device.

Wave Hub will match fund some of Ocean Energy’s deployment costs up to a maximum of £1 million, following a competition last year for device developers able to deploy in 2012.  This includes the cost of securing a Marine Licence and installation of moorings and deployment.

Wave Hub general manager Claire Gibson said: “I am pleased to confirm our partnership with Ocean Energy Limited and look forward to assisting them with their deployment at Wave Hub later this year. Ocean Energy has completed three years of prototype testing in energetic sea conditions and is ready to make the next step to Wave Hub with a full scale device. If the testing goes well we expect to see Ocean Energy deploy an array of devices at Wave Hub. 

“By supporting Ocean Energy’s deployment now we can fully test our operational procedures and establish the process for securing a Marine Licence. This will support and accelerate further deployments at Wave Hub.”

John McCarthy, chief executive and co-founder of Ocean Energy said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Wave Hub to deploy our technology at their Hayle facility. Cornwall has been to the forefront in developing and incubating the wave energy sector and is well placed to reap the rewards of this foresight with an excellent range of services available locally.”

He said that the rigorous testing and proven survivability of Ocean Energy’s technology was a key driver in winning this opportunity for their device.  

Ocean Energy will now consider fabricating its 1.5 MW device locally. 

Ocean Energy’s OE Buoy uses the oscillating water column principle. As waves enter a subsea chamber they force air through a turbine on the surface, generating electricity. As the waves recede they cause a vacuum, drawing air back through the turbine. Ocean Energy’s technology means the turbine rotates continuously regardless of the direction of the airflow. This improves efficiency and means it only has one moving part, minimising maintenance costs.

Dresser-Rand and Ocean Energy Limited already have a memorandum of understanding to develop a full range of full-scale devices to produce commercial electricity. Dresser-Rand developed and patented the HydroAir™ turbine – a variable radius turbine that uses a combination of stainless steel, aluminium and reinforced composites to resist corrosion. The turbine is constructed to withstand the rigors of a marine environment, and demonstrates higher levels of efficiency when compared to existing impulse designs across a wide range of incident flows.

This announcement follows South West England’s recent designation as the UK’s first Marine Energy Park.

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker made the announcement on a visit toBristolwhere he met with key members of the new initiative.

TheSouthWestMarineEnergyParkwill stretch fromCornwalland the Isles of Scilly toBristol. It will create a collaborative partnership in the region between national and local government, Local Enterprise Partnerships, the Universities of Plymouth andExeterand industry including Wave Hub and the FabTest marine renewables nursery site inFalmouthBay.

The aim of the partnership will be to speed up the progress of marine power development.

Wave Hub general manager Claire Gibson said: “Today’s announcement reinforces the prominence ofCornwall and the South West in theUK’s offer to the marine renewable energy industry. Wave Hub is a cornerstone of the newMarineEnergyPark and we look forward to playing our role in accelerating the commercial development of marine renewables.”

The announcement has been warmly welcomed elsewhere inCornwall.

David Ellis, Chairman of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, said: “Today’s announcement cementsFalmouth’s growing reputation as a marine renewables hub. A fantastic example of this is FabTest, a nursery test site for wave energy devices, which Falmouth Harbour Commissioners set up in response to demand from local industry wishing to offer services to the marine renewable sector. We expect to see the first device deployed at the site in the next few months and the high level of interest indicates that there will be a steady stream of device deployments to follow.”

Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “As a company recognised for working at the forefront of the marine renewables sector, A&P Falmouth is delighted to welcome today’s announcement, which is fantastic news forFalmouth and the Cornish economy.

“We are delighted to see this commitment to marine renewable energy in the South West from the Government and are now focused on supporting the South West to realise its objective to become a leading region in marine renewable energy. With thePortofFalmouthnamed as a centre of activity for the marine energy park and with the newly opened FabTest site on our doorstep, we are perfectly positioned to support the development and growth of the sector.”

Energy from the waves or tides has the potential to generate up to 27GW of power in theUKalone by 2050, equivalent to the power generated from 8 coal-fired power stations, as well as helping to reduce emissions to fight climate change.

Greg Barker said: “This is a real milestone for the marine industry and for the South West region in securing its place in renewables history as the first official marine energy park. The South West can build on its existing unique mix of renewable energy resource and home-grown academic, technical and industrial expertise.

“Marine power has huge potential in theUKnot just in contributing to a greener electricity supply and cutting emissions, but in supporting thousands of jobs in a sector worth a possible £15bn to the economy to 2050.

“TheUKis already a world leader in wave and tidal power, so we should capitalise on this leadership to make marine power a real contender in the future energy market.”

During his visit, the Minister launched the South West Marine Energy Park Prospectus which outlines how the region’s public and private sector will work together with the government and other key national bodies such as the Crown Estate. 

The work to develop theSouthWestMarineEnergyParkhas been commissioned by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council. The work was undertaken by Regen SW.

A copy of the SouthWestMarineEnergyParkprospectus is available to download here: Marine Energy Park prospectus

To manage the day-to-day operation of the testing facility on its behalf, BIS has set up a stand-alone operating company, Wave Hub Limited, which will be based in Hayle, Cornwall. This arrangement will allow the project to build on the operational plans already put in place by the RDA.

BIS and the RDA have been discussing the Wave Hub’s future since closure of the RDA was confirmed by the Government last summer.  BIS has always recognised Wave Hub’s unique position as a nationally-important asset to develop the UK’s capacity to generate energy through the power of ocean waves.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said “As part of the transition to a green economy the Government is committed to developing clean energy sources including marine. Development of the Wave Hub in Cornwall will bring both environmental and economic benefits to the UK and I am pleased that we are able to take this positive step today.” 

Claire Gibson has been confirmed as Wave Hub’s permanent General Manager having acted in an interim capacity since May. She said: “This is good news for Wave Hub, for Cornwall and the South West and for the future of wave energy development across the UK. 

“It secures Wave Hub’s status as a publicly-owned asset, ensures it will continue to be locally run, and reinforces the pivotal role of Wave Hub and Cornwall to the development of a commercial marine energy industry in the UK.

“I am delighted to be leading this important project and am absolutely committed to ensuring Wave Hub is a success – supporting companies to prove their technology and delivering economic benefit for Cornwall.  I look forward to welcoming our first customer at Wave Hub in the near future.”

The site has also been issued with a marine license by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), which allows the mooring of marine energy converter devices.

The announcement, made at the Regen SW Renewable Futures conference inBath, is the latest step in the creation of a marine energy park in South West England.

The Park aims to pull together commercial and academic organisations and marine energy assets to create a vibrant and dynamic centre of marine energy in the region.

FabTest, which is not grid-connected, will enable wave energy generation device developers to conduct sea trials of their devices in moderate seas, close to port facilities. It is a stepping stone to the deployment of arrays of devices at Wave Hub, the world’s largest grid-connected wave energy demonstration facility installed 10 nautical miles off the north coast of Cornwall last year.

The management of the site will be undertaken by a partnership between FHC and the University of Exeter. The FabTest project has been driven by a steering group which has also included Wave Hub and the marine energy support industry including A&P Group and Mojo Maritime in Cornwall.

Mark Sansom, Chief Executive of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, said: “FabTest offers a pre-consented area in Falmouth Bay licensed to test up to three devices at a time and we are delighted to have signed this lease with The Crown Estate. We will manage the facility and have already secured a licence from the MMO. This means we can offer developers a streamlined approval process for individual devices in an area with a range of depth and seabed types that does not interfere with marine traffic.”

Rob Hastings, Director of the Marine Estate, The Crown Estate said: “We are delighted to have leased this site for the FabTest project and look forward to seeing it being used to test devices.  As the emerging wave industry makes the transition from technology R&D to commercial project development, further technology testing is essential and FabTest offers to play an important supporting role.  The Crown Estate is also pleased to be working with Regen SW and other stakeholders in the south west of England to start planning for commercial-scale wave and tidal project development in the future.”

The Universityof Exeter’s Cornwall-based marine energy experts first proposed the idea of a nursery test site in Falmouth Bay and will help regulate the facility. Dr Lars Johanning, Senior Lecturer in Renewable Energy at the university, said: “FabTest will provide an opportunity to boost our already world-class research in marine renewable energy, including assessing the impact of the technologies on the marine habitat and the development of improved engineering solutions, prediction and modelling techniques.”

Johnny Gowdy Programme Director, Regen SW, said: “We are working with Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council on the creation of a marine energy park in the South West and FabTest is another essential component in the region’s growing offer to the marine energy industry. We are delighted at today’s announcement, coinciding as it does with our Renewables Futures conference.”

Claire Gibson, General Manager at Wave Hub added: “FabTest is exactly what the industry has told us it needs and complements the growing marine energy assets and expertise we have in the South West region. It has been designed as a stepping stone to Wave Hub and will help device developers on the critical path to commercialisation.”

FabTest has also been welcomed by Plymouth University, which is currently building wave and tidal tank testing facilities in Plymouth that will be unique in theUK when they open next year.

Professor Julian Beer, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional Enterprise) at Plymouth University said: “When you combine our marine building with FabTest’s nearshore facilities, Wave Hub’s offshore grid-connected site, the marine supply chain and the region’s academic expertise, you have the knowledge and assets to take a marine energy project from prototype model to full scale testing of arrays, all in South West England. That’s what the marine energy park concept is all about.”

FabTest is also expected to play a key role in supporting the growth of marine businesses inCornwall.

Mike Reynolds, Port Operations Director at A&P Group’s Falmouth operation, which has a growing marine renewables business, said: “FabTest is what our customers need to test and develop their devices and systems before looking at deployments further offshore, so this is very welcome. The potential to construct, deploy and service these devices is a key part of our strategy to grow our business inCornwall. We expect FabTest to play an important role in realising this growth.”

FabTest offers developers the chance to undertake tests to investigate structural integrity, response behaviour, mooring and umbilical behaviour, subsea components, monitoring systems and deployment procedures in moderate sea conditions before deploying their devices in more energetic offshore conditions.

The Crown Estate lease and MMO consent is for five years and the three berths available will be let by Falmouth Harbour Commissioners on commercial terms.

For industry enquiries about FabTest please email info@fabtest.co.uk