US marine power firm first to commit to Wave Hub

newenergyfocus.com
16-07-09

American wave power firm Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has become the first company to formally commit to taking a test berth at Wave Hub. The New Jersey-based company, which has offices in Warwick, confirmed yesterday (July 15) that it had signed an agreement committing it to deploying its wave power device, Powerbuoy, at the Wave Hub site in Cornwall when it is built.

The news came yesterday as the government gave the official green light for Wave Hub, set to become the south of England's only marine energy device test centre, and announced £60 million of investment in marine power (see this New Energy Focus story). The South West Regional Development Agency (RDA), which is leading the project, also confirmed that £42 million has been earmarked for Wave Hub for the construction of test berths 10 miles off the Cornish coast, and a subsea cable to export electricity to the National Grid.

According to OPT, the company plans to build, install and operate its PowerBuoy systems at Wave Hub to generate up to 5MW of electricity. The devices are set to be deployed in a phased roll-out, following the completion of the project infrastructure, expected in August 2010. OPT said it plans to work with commercial partners to provide additional investment in the Powerbuoy deployment, proposals that the firm believes will result in a "significant number" of jobs.

Angus Norman, chief executive of OPT, said: "OPT has provided strong support to Wave Hub and the South West region's vision to create a world-class centre for the marine energy industry over the past five years. As a result, we are proud to be the first to sign a Commitment Agreement to make this project a commercial reality." He added: "With major new funding and final approval today, Wave Hub is sure to become a global showcase for wave power technology and means that it is now gaining momentum as a viable source of renewable energy."

Wave Hub Set to be located 17 kilometres off the coast of Hayle in Cornwall, Wave Hub ran into difficulties last year when the South West RDA failed to find a project manager, and some in the industry speculated that it would never get off the ground. But, with the appointment of JP Kenny to manage the scheme in November (see this New Energy Focus story), the project began moving once again and developers are now harbouring ambitions to potentially scale the project up to 50MW in the future.

Nick Harrington, head of marine energy at the South West RDA told New Energy Focus that the agency has now ordered the subsea cable for Wave Hub from Hartlepool-based JDR cables, and that it will shortly begin work on the onshore substation. He added that, following the agreement with OPT, the South West RDA is now "in discussions" a number of other developers interested in taking berths at Wave Hub.

Stephen Peacock, executive director of enterprise and innovation at the South West RDA, said: "This is an exciting time for Wave Hub and we are very proud that the South West of England is set to be at the forefront of the world's marine energy industry." He added: "OPT has shared our vision from the outset and we look forward to continued partnership and the benefits their world-leading expertise will bring to the south west economy."