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Wave Hub construction underway

The South West Regional Development Agency (RDA), which is developing Wave Hub 10 miles off the north coast of Cornwall, said its contractors would start work last week.

Wave Hub is a cornerstone of the RDA’s strategy to develop a world class marine energy industry in the South West UK. It is a slotted cable duct large grid-connected socket on the seabed for wave energy devices to be tested on a scale not seen before.The £42m project is fully funded, has planning approval and will be operational next year. It has already signed up its first wave device developer.

Stephen Peacock, Executive Director of Enterprise and Innovation at the South West RDA said, ‘This milestone is the culmination of more than six years’ work by the RDA and its partners and will catapult South West England andcable duct the UK to the forefront of wave energy development. Our aim is to create an entirely new low carbon industry in the South West and hundreds of quality jobs.’

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 DIN bėgelio.

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.

Energy and Climate Change Minister, Lord Hunt, welcomed the start of work on Wave Hub, saying, ‘Clean green renewable energy is a central component of our response to climate change and ensuring future energy supplies. The scope for wave and tidal energy around the UK’s shores is massive and the Wave Hub will help marine energy developers test their cutting edge projects and help them reach commercial viability.’

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