Engineers start UK Wave Hub drilling operation

1 December 2009

Work on the Wave Hub marine energy project has begun in Cornwall, UK. Wave Hub will create the world’s largest test site for wave energy technology by building a grid-connected socket on the seabed, ten miles off the coast, to which wave power devices can be connected and their performance evaluated.

The £42m project has been developed by the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) and is a cornerstone of its strategy to develop a world class marine energy industry in South West England.

Guy Lavender, Wave Hub’s recently appointed general manager who takes up his post in January, said, ‘Our contractors have spent the last two weeks setting up on site and are now ready to start. This is a crucial part of our shoreside works and means we’ll be ready to receive the cable connecting Wave Hub to the shore when it is laid next summer.

‘We want South West England to be a world leader in the development of marine renewables, an industry which could be worth £2 billion a year to the UK by 2050. With world leaders meeting in Copenhagen next week to discuss climate change, Wave Hub is a tangible example of a project that could have a global impact on reducing carbon emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels.’

Wave Hub is being funded with £12.5m from the South West RDA, £20m from the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme and £9.5m from the UK government.

In July, South West England was designated the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area because of its strength in marine energy, attracting a further £10m 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 £100m.

Copyright © 2009 NewNet

Tags: marine energy, tidal energy, wave energy

This story was published on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 4:25 pm and is filed under Europe, companies, water. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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