UK - Power & Opportunity: Britain can rule the waves

BWEA, the UK’s leading renewable energy trade association which champions the wind and marine renewables industry warmly welcomes a new report published today by the Carbon Trust on the opportunities for Britain’s fledging marine renewables industry. The results of the Marine Energy Challenge show that wave and tidal power could provide as much as 20% of the country’s current electricity needs and become cost-competitive with other types of energy generation in the long term.

Coming just two days after the Government launches a review of energy policy, this is an encouraging message, echoed by BWEA Chief Executive Marcus Rand: "Today’s report provides report provides important impetus behind the vision that Britain can rule the waves and tides, making a significant dent in our carbon emissions alongside creating new world class industries for UK plc. With the Government’s Energy Review shining a spotlight on future energy policy this influential report has been published at a critical time. The findings confirm that marine energy has a major role to play in providing 20 per cent of the nation’s power in a secure and low carbon way. Importantly it lays down the challenge to Government and industry to provide the appropriate levels of public and private sector support over the coming years to ensure this vision becomes a reality. We must as a nation urgently pick up this challenge as evidence from the wind sector shows where long-term support is provided the costs of power generation can be reduced significantly and the multiple environmental and economic benefits can be harnessed."

The Challenge, a £3 million, 18-month programme, brought together device developers and engineering consultants in order to assess the costs and performance of marine renewables today. In parallel it looked to find whether the future costs of wave and tidal stream electricity could be reduced to become cost-competitive with other renewables and conventional generation in the future and what contribution to UK energy supply they could provide.

The results of the Carbon Trust’s Marine Energy Challenge are the first in a series of activities that will raise the profile of this growth sector for UK. Next on the agenda is BWEA’s upcoming marine renewable energy conference, to be held at The Sage Gateshead on 8th February 2006. The strong programme features a keynote address from Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, with expert speakers including former Energy Minister Brian Wilson, the Director of the Energy Industries and Technologies Unit within DTI, Peter Waller, and the Prime Minister's Senior Policy Advisor on Trade and Energy, Geoffrey Norris. The two most senior DEFRA figures involved in the development of the Marine Bill, John Roberts and Dave Bench, will also be speaking.

The event is time to allow high level discussion between industry and Government officials involved in both the Energy Review and the Marine Bill – two crucial developments for wave and tidal energy. With 250 delegates expected, the conference promises to be the largest and highest profile marine renewables event in the world this year, attracting international trade delegations and investors alike.