Three new board members have been appointed to oversee the operation of Wave Hub, the offshore marine energy project in Cornwall.
Bill Russell takes on the role of chairman while Niamh Lamond and Richard Parkinson have been appointed as non-executive Directors.
Welcoming the appointments, Business Minister Mark Prisk said: “Wave Hub is a cornerstone of the Government’s commitment to encourage the generation of clean electricity from the power of the seas as part of our transition to a green economy. These appointments will help strengthen Wave Hub’s position by bringing a combination of commercial, technical and financial experience to the Board and ensuring this national asset plays a pivotal role in the commercialisation of marine energy in the UK.”
Bill Russell said: “Wave Hub is a strategically important asset not only in the South West but the whole of theUKand I am delighted to be taking up this appointment. We are committed to ensuring that Wave Hub brings environmental and economic benefits to theUK by realising the full potential of marine renewable energy.”
Niamh Lamond said: “Cornwalland South West England have a growing reputation for innovation in renewable energy and Wave Hub is playing a key role in forging close links between industry, research and education as we develop our understanding of marine renewables. I’m delighted to be joining the board at this exciting time.”
Richard Parkinson said: “The industry is now moving into a new phase where the focus is on pre-commercial testing of arrays of devices. Wave Hub is currently the only installed facility for this scale of testing and is therefore groundbreaking in all sorts of ways. I look forward to bringing my experience of offshore deployments to the board and to help address the technical challenges of deploying, monitoring and maintaining wave energy devices.”
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Offshore WIND staff, June 20, 2012; Image: Wave Hub