Marine Energy Wales aims to provide support and guidance for the marine energy sector. This means harnessing the energy from the sea – including waves, tidal stream, floating offshore wind and tidal range – to generate electricity. But is Wales on track to make the most of its marine energy opportunity?
Jess Hooper, Marine Energy Wales Programme Manager, sat down with Business News Wales to chat about the potential of marine energy.
Listen to the interview below.
When discussing marine energy, Jess said:
“Wales is blessed with significant and diverse Marine Energy Resources including tidal range, tidal stream, wave and floating offshore wind.”
She furthered by saying that Marine Energy Wales wants to “raise awareness of the country’s key development undertakings”. This includes €100.4 million worth of EU structural funding committed to marine energy projects in Wales and the Pembroke Dock Marine project, part of the Swansea Bay City Deal.
Jess highlighted that key projects are currently being undertaken in Wales:
“It’s all systems go at the moment, with a focus on decarbonization or net-zero and a green recovery, offshore emerging renewables are in the spotlight!”
In the interview, she talks about the various projects that are underway, including technology development and testing for Bombora in Pembrokeshire, and site and technology development with both Minesto and Nova in North Wales.
Since 2015, Marine Energy Wales has been tracking the progress of the industry in Wales in order to capture their members’ contribution to realizing the ocean of opportunity in marine renewables and demonstrating our progress as a sector through their State of the Sector report, released earlier this month.
Jess said that these clean renewable energy sources can make a very real contribution to decarbonising our economy and achieving net zero targets.
She described how:
“not only are they clean sources, they are abundant, predictable and on our doorstep. With 1680 miles of coastline it is a very real and very accessible energy source for Wales.”
Marine Energy Wales expanded to become a pan Wales organization in 2016 and works to build a positive and unique collaboration between industry, government and academia.
