Wave Hub, the pioneering marine energy project in Cornwall, has welcomed plans for an offshore renewables innovation centre announced today by UK Business Secretary Vince Cable.

The Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) will focus on the development of offshore wind, wave and tidal technologies and could have a presence across different parts of the UK, reflecting where the renewable resource is.

The Government-backed Technology Strategy Board is expected to call for expressions of interest in the summer with a view to the TIC being established in 2012.

Claire Gibson, interim general manager at Wave Hub in Cornwall, said: “This is a huge vote of confidence in the UK’s marine renewables sector and we believe it creates a sound framework within which Wave Hub can sit as a vital national asset.

“There has been massive investment in recent years across the South West in developing our marine renewables offer, from hardware like Wave Hub to the academic and research expertise now available through the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE), so South West England is ideally placed to contribute to the TIC.

“Next year will see a new tank testing facility coming on stream in Plymouth that will be unique in the UK, and there are plans for a nearshore nursery testing site in Falmouth Bay that involves industry, academia and Wave Hub.

“If you look at the South West’s onshore and offshore assets in marine renewables, coupled with the existing supply chain expertise, I think we have a compelling case to be part of any offshore renewables TIC, perhaps in partnership with other facilities in the UK or major industry players interested in developing marine energy technology.”