Marine Hubbub in South West UK
The South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) has appointed a project manager to take forward proposals to develop the Wave Hub , a proposal to kick start the regions sea power industry.
Dr Mike Patching of St Austell based Scott Wilson Oceans, part of international consultants Scott Wilson, will manage plans to install the offshore electrical socket which will connect wave power machines off Cornwall’s coast to the national grid. Scott Wilson Oceans undertook its first UK offshore wind energy development in 1991 and has since been involved in 175 wind energy projects throughout the world.
The Wave Hub will enable wave power companies to test how well groups of wave machines produce power before they move on to producing them on a commercial basis. It is hoped the facility will encourage these companies to construct their machines in the South West and to use the specialist skills of the region’s marine and electro-hydraulic businesses.
Proposals for the Wave Hub were initially suggested in a report prepared for the RDA by Regen SW in October 2003.
The RDA has recently invited expressions of interest to undertake the initial feasibility study which will be commissioned soon (see ).If all goes well the Wave Hub could be in the water by 2006.
MJ Information No: 19529
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