The European Marine Energy Centre yesterday welcomed two ministers to its world-leading facilities in Orkney.
The only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy on the planet provided the visitors with an insight into marine renewable activity taking place across the islands.
UK Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker and Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing went with Emec’s managing director Neil Kermode by boat to the centre’s wave test site at Billia Croo where they observed the innovative operations and the latest technology currently deployed in Orkney waters.
The ministers also met representatives from marine renewable developer companies currently testing at Emec: Seatricity, Wello, Aquamarine Power, Pelamis Wave Power, Scotrenewables and Tidal Generation.
Mr Kermode said: “There are more full-scale devices in the sea here than at any other single site in the world and we are extremely pleased that the ministers took time to come to Orkney to see these machines operating up close. Emec is the world’s only test laboratory for full-scale wave and tidal energy converters. As a result, it is hosting most of the cutting-edge technologies in this field and has developed a wealth of experience to inform the sector.”
Mr Barker said: “It was fantastic to have the opportunity to visit Emec’s test sites to see the technologies at work in the waters and meet the developers involved in these innovative projects here in Orkney.”
Established in 2003, Emec has 14 full-scale test berths and also provides nursery-scale testing facilities for testing of smaller scale wave and tidal devices.
On Monday, Mr Barker formally launched the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park.
About 110 investors, developers and manufacturers attended the Thurso launch of the park, which incorporates Emec.
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