The funds will target marine renewable projects over the next two years aiming to assist the industry in innovation and commercialisation, as well as supporting the development of the local supply chain. Newly funded projects include the Offshore Renewables Delivery Programme (ORDP), the Channel MOR project and ESF Support Skills for the workforce.
ORDP is a £360,000 partnership between Cornwall Council and Plymouth University managed by Cornwall Development Company. The funding includes a £50,000 investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership’s Regional Growth Fund. It will create a marine renewables focused programme looking to de-risk and better resource the development pathway to commercialisation for developers. The programme also includes the creation of an industry-led forum, chaired by Mike Reynolds of Falmouth based A&P, which aims to develop the programme to offer support around deployment; technology development; supply chain and skills development; inward investment; industrialisation; access to funding and infrastructure – such as ports and grid.
The £103,895 Channel MOR project was secured by Cornwall Marine Network via the Interreg IVA Programme (England-France) and funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Its aim is to research, coordinate and grow supply chain and marketing opportunities for the marine renewables sectors of France and Cornwall. It will initially provide a temporary full time coordinator for the Marine Offshore Renewables (MOR) Group based in Cornwall and covering the South West. It will also lead the development of the Channel MOR Group working with counterparts in France.
The ESF Skills Support for the Workforce is a £72,000 project secured by the Cornwall Marine Network which aims to research and map the skills gaps, capacity and future requirements of the growing marine renewable energy sector in Cornwall.
With the recent securing of the Plymouth and South West Peninsula City Deal more investment is likely to follow these projects. This could see £296 million invested in the region over the next 15 years with Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly set to receive more than £500 million of EU structural funds from 2014 to 2020. Both programmes have announced a commitment to developing growth in the marine renewables sector.
Cornwall and Plymouth already have a globally competitive marine renewables sector arising from the world-class test facilities available. These include the COAST Lab in Plymouth and the FaBTest and Wave Hub facilities in Cornwall. These are also supported by leading researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth.
“Marine renewable energy is a global market opportunity for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and this latest suite of investments will support the sector’s growth ambitions and build on the considerable assets we already have in the region” said Chris Pomfret, Chairman of the Cornwall Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. “These include world-class test facilities spanning tank testing to full scale array deployment, backed by a depth of research and an established supply chain that is already exporting its expertise to other regions and around the world. Our aim is to smooth the path to commercialisation for marine renewable energy developers and ensure that we maintain a significant competitive advantage in a sector that has enormous potential for our region.”
South West Marine Energy Park (SWMEP) partners have also committed additional funding over the next two years to enable work with the industry across the South West, and nationally throughout the UK, to create the right investment environment for commercialisation of marine energy.
“We have been impressed by the South West’s focus and support for the marine renewable sector” said Peter Mitchell, managing director of wave energy company Seatricity, which recently announced plans to build a 10MW array at Wave Hub over the next two years. “It was one of the key factors for us when deciding to move our operation to Cornwall and look to operate off Wave Hub this year. The technology pathway presents developers with a number of different challenges and I hope initiatives such as those being set up in the South West are going to help smooth the transition from early stage development through to the commercialisation stage that we are approaching.”
According to Ian McFadzen of Plymouth University, Cornwall and Plymouth are a natural fit in the delivery of UK marine renewables resources with the test facilities that are based in the region.
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