Anders Jansson, CEO of Nordic marine energy technology company Minesto agrees with recently issued report ‘ Marine Energy in Wales – Investment, Jobs, Supply Chain ’ by Marine Energy Pembrokeshire (MEP).
He believes that marine energy can have an even stronger impact on the Welsh economy than it suggest.
The report concludes that technology and project developers to date have spent £34,5 million on marine energy projects in Wales, helping to create over 174 person years of employment. The MEP report argues that the Welsh supply chain has been involved in this new sector at levels of almost 50 percent for tidal stream and 60 percent for wave energy.
Nordic marine energy technology company Minesto, is one of many actors mentioned in the report. The company is currently preparing a consent application for a site near Holyhead Island in Wales prior to a planned construction of a 10MW marine energy array in 2017, which will supply electricity to equivalent of the needs of 8,000 households.
“The conclusions in this report strengthens the argument for marine energy in Wales,” said Anders Jansson , CEO, Minesto. “To highlight the industry it is important to point out the positive factors green investments can have for the society. Looking at the site we are preparing in Holyhead Island, we foresee job opportunities for more than 30 people” .
In July 2014 Minesto was awarded an ‘Agreement for Lease’ for a commercial demonstration site for electricity production from tidal currents near Holyhead Island in Wales. Minesto’s tidal power plant, called Deep Green, looks like an underwater kite and is based on a fundamentally new principle for electricity generation from tidal and ocean currents.
MEP is a partnership between technology developers, the supply chain, academia and the public sector working together to establish Pembrokeshire, Wales as a “centre of excellence” for sustainable marine energy generation. MEPs funders are the Welsh government, the Crown Estate, Port of Milford Haven-Pembroke Port and the Pembrokeshire County Council.
To view the full report, visit the following link .