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Future Funding Secured for Marine Energy Wales

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Marine Energy Wales acts as a single point of access for all forms of marine energy – wave, tidal stream, tidal range and floating offshore wind – bringing together business, academia and the public sector to establish Wales as a global leader. A new three-year grant worth £150,000 per year will now go towards supporting our work until 2025.

In a show of political support for a low carbon future, Welsh Government Economy Minister Vaughan Gething, said:

“I’m pleased we’ve been able to provide this funding package to Marine Energy Wales, which will support the development of emerging marine energy technologies. This is part of our wider efforts to establish Wales as a global leader in sustainable emerging offshore renewable generation.”

Previous business plans have been awarded on a single or two-year funding basis. The current extension allows us to tailor specialist support for the Floating Offshore Wind sector (FLOW). FLOW is poised to become the backbone of a future Net Zero renewable energy system. The UK Government has increased a target to generate 4GW of electricity in the Celtic Sea by 2035, enough to provide clean power for almost four million homes and create up to 29,000 new jobs by 2050.

A new FLOW project coordinator has joined the Marine Energy Wales team recently. Part of their role involves coordinating an additional membership group, the Celtic Sea Developer Alliance (CSDA). The CSDA is made up of companies with an active interest in the Celtic Sea. Marine Energy Wales will work to represent their interests while ensuring the future energy ambition in this region delivers local, sustainable jobs.

A new Marine Energy Wales satellite office has also been established in Anglesey to support the growth of the tidal energy industry in North Wales. Having recently re-located from Pembrokeshire to the M-Sparc Menai Science Park, Marine Energy Wales Project Manager, Jay Sheppard, said:

“Having a physical presence in the region will help us improve our on the ground stakeholder engagement, working alongside our members, such as Minesto and Morlais, who are involved in growing the tidal energy industry in North Wales, and allowing us to better support them in their respective activities.”

Business News Wales