Commenting on the announcement, David Jones, project director of Marine Energy Wales, said, “This is further evidence of the commitment to marine energy in Wales. NRW are critical to Wales’ ambition to decarbonize our future and we will continue to work collaboratively with them so that marine energy can play a role in a low carbon Wales."
Offshore renewable energy is increasingly an area of high political, public and policy interest in Wales. This growth is driven by ambitious decarbonization goals, a move towards a low carbon economy and declaration of a “Climate Emergency”. NRW is committed to supporting Government in addressing the climate and nature emergencies and to meet targets of 30% electricity generation from renewable energy by 2030.
Offshore wind development already makes a significant contribution to meeting these renewable energy goals and has the potential to grow with the recent announcement for Round 4 offshore wind seabed leasing from The Crown Estate.
The Welsh Government has also recently adopted the Welsh National Marine Plan (WNMP), which provides an over-arching framework for the sustainable management of Welsh seas. Marine energy is a top priority with the objective to “contribute significantly to the decarbonization of our economy and to our prosperity by increasing the amount of marine renewable energy generated”.
“OREP will undoubtedly support the recently adopted Welsh National Marine Plan which provides a framework for the sustainable management of Welsh seas where increasing marine energy is a priority,” said Jones.
There are currently 13 new vacancies to support OREP which will deliver a program of work designed to support sustainable offshore renewable energy such as wind, wave and tidal power.
For more information on the program and the vacancies, click here.
