Welsh marine energy industry making progress

TWO major advances that will help the Welsh Assembly Government meet its renewable energy aspirations by creating renewable energy from the sea have been announced by Environment Minister, Jane Davidson. The Minister spoke at the Marine Energy Pembrokeshire Industry Seminar and announced the completion of a three year project that has mapped the marine energy resources contained within Welsh waters.The project - entitled the Marine Renewable Energy Strategic Framework (MRESF) – has resulted in five groundbreaking and detailed reports on marine development. The reports cover key environmental issues such as the potential risk of fish colliding with wave or tidal devices. The project has also seen the development of an innovative and interactive mapping system that illustrates the energy resource in Welsh waters and the various levels of restraints that might obstruct marine development in certain locations.The findings show that even when the various environmental and technological constraints are taken into account, there is still the potential for Welsh waters to produce enough energy to power up to two million homes per year.The Minister said: “Wales is fortunate to have over 1,200 kilometres of coastline with significant marine-energy, extensive port ...