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UK's two marine energy parks sign historic agreement
The UK's two Marine Energy Parks will today sign a milestone agreement to work together to support the development of the UK wave and tidal industry.
The collaboration agreement, signed at the Renewable UK Wave and Tidal Conference in London, will be witnessed by Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker and Fergus Ewing, MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism.
The South West Marine Energy Park (SWMEP) and The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park, in the North of Scotland, were designated as the UK's first marine energy parks in 2012, in recognition of the significant natural and business resources, and the close working partnerships established between industry, technology developers, academia and the public sector in the two regions.
While each Park will provide a focus for investment and industrial growth within its own geographic area, this agreement provides a basis for the two MEPs to work together to build relationships, address common issues, and to encourage business and research collaboration.
It will also provide a means to exchange knowledge and best practice to ensure that the UK continues to be at the forefront of the global marine energy industry.
Greg Barker said: "Today's agreement between the South West and the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Parks is a real boost for our marine energy industry.
"We already leading the way globally on marine power, thanks to our world-class natural resource and outstanding technical know-how. Marine Energy Parks, aimed at sharing expertise and knowledge on the ground, are a vital part of the Coalition Government's vision to keep up this momentum.
"This Memorandum of Understanding will help encourage further investment, accelerate the move to commercialisation and ensure marine energy reaches its potential in our future energy mix."
Fergus Ewing added: "The MoU between the marine energy parks ensures a more coherent and strategic approach in developing the marine renewables industry. It will also provide us with greater leverage in Europe which will help create a positive business environment to attract investment and generate jobs for both Orkney and the surrounding area and in the South West from Bristol through to Cornwall and as far as the Isles of Scilly."
Peter Kydd, strategic director at Parsons Brinckerhoff, who will sign the agreement as chairman of the South West Marine Energy Park, said: "We are very pleased to be working in close partnership with our colleagues in Scotland - there are already very strong relationships between companies and research facilities in the two regions, it makes sense therefore that the UK's first two Marine Energy Parks should be working together to promote and accelerate the commercial development of marine energy technologies"
Johnny Gowdy, Programme Director at Regen SW added: "There is a huge amount that the South West can learn from the experience that our Scottish cousins have had in the marine energy sector. Already several South West based companies are working up in Orkney and at EMEC; we want to see this exchange continue and look forward to welcoming Scottish companies who we hope will come down to work on energy projects off the South West coast in the very near future."
Wave Hub, which is part of the South West MEP and is the world's largest grid-connected wave energy test site, welcomed the agreement as further evidence of the UK's comprehensive offer to the global wave and tidal energy industry.
Wave Hub general manager Claire Gibson said: "This agreement sends a clear and positive message to the industry that the UK is serious about accelerating commercial development of the marine energy sector.
"The two MEPs have much to offer each other and their complementary facilities and expertise are an enormous strength that can take projects from inception and prototype testing to full array deployment at Wave Hub. We look forward to working more closely with our Scottish colleagues to ensure that together the UK's testing facilities continue to offer marine energy developers a technology pathway that is second to none."
The South West Marine Energy Park (SWMEP) and The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park, in the North of Scotland, were designated as the UK's first marine energy parks in 2012, in recognition of the significant natural and business resources, and the close working partnerships established between industry, technology developers, academia and the public sector in the two regions.
While each Park will provide a focus for investment and industrial growth within its own geographic area, this agreement provides a basis for the two MEPs to work together to build relationships, address common issues, and to encourage business and research collaboration.
It will also provide a means to exchange knowledge and best practice to ensure that the UK continues to be at the forefront of the global marine energy industry.
Greg Barker said: "Today's agreement between the South West and the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Parks is a real boost for our marine energy industry.
"We already leading the way globally on marine power, thanks to our world-class natural resource and outstanding technical know-how. Marine Energy Parks, aimed at sharing expertise and knowledge on the ground, are a vital part of the Coalition Government's vision to keep up this momentum.
"This Memorandum of Understanding will help encourage further investment, accelerate the move to commercialisation and ensure marine energy reaches its potential in our future energy mix."
Fergus Ewing added: "The MoU between the marine energy parks ensures a more coherent and strategic approach in developing the marine renewables industry. It will also provide us with greater leverage in Europe which will help create a positive business environment to attract investment and generate jobs for both Orkney and the surrounding area and in the South West from Bristol through to Cornwall and as far as the Isles of Scilly."
Peter Kydd, strategic director at Parsons Brinckerhoff, who will sign the agreement as chairman of the South West Marine Energy Park, said: "We are very pleased to be working in close partnership with our colleagues in Scotland - there are already very strong relationships between companies and research facilities in the two regions, it makes sense therefore that the UK's first two Marine Energy Parks should be working together to promote and accelerate the commercial development of marine energy technologies"
Johnny Gowdy, Programme Director at Regen SW added: "There is a huge amount that the South West can learn from the experience that our Scottish cousins have had in the marine energy sector. Already several South West based companies are working up in Orkney and at EMEC; we want to see this exchange continue and look forward to welcoming Scottish companies who we hope will come down to work on energy projects off the South West coast in the very near future."
Wave Hub, which is part of the South West MEP and is the world's largest grid-connected wave energy test site, welcomed the agreement as further evidence of the UK's comprehensive offer to the global wave and tidal energy industry.
Wave Hub general manager Claire Gibson said: "This agreement sends a clear and positive message to the industry that the UK is serious about accelerating commercial development of the marine energy sector.
"The two MEPs have much to offer each other and their complementary facilities and expertise are an enormous strength that can take projects from inception and prototype testing to full array deployment at Wave Hub. We look forward to working more closely with our Scottish colleagues to ensure that together the UK's testing facilities continue to offer marine energy developers a technology pathway that is second to none."
