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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 5, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
The Welsh European Funding Office will provide £5
million towards a 7 MW wave energy facility off the coast of western
Wales.
KP Renewables and Wave Dragon are developing the first stage of
deployment for the £12 million project off the coast of
Pembrokeshire, near Milford Haven, that will generate electricity
for 6,000 homes. The second phase of development will involve
construction and operation of another 70 MW of wave energy projects,
also in Wales.
The wave power station project was announced in December and the
location was chosen after the two companies conducted a
pre-environmental assessment of numerous potential sites, and
through consultation with local stakeholders. The unit has been
under development for eight years and has been tested off the coasts
of Ireland and Denmark.
The prototype in Denmark is believed to be the world’s first
offshore device to deliver power to a national grid. The units are
moored to the seabed, but float to adjust their position according
to the direction of waves, which are channeled into a reservoir
above sea level to drive turbines.
Subject to environmental impact and other assessments to be
conducted during the first phase, the plan is to install another
eleven units in deeper water 18 km off the coast of Wales. Those
units would be built in 2008 and 2009 to yield a total capacity of
70MW of electricity, and KP Renewables estimates construction could
create 1,000 jobs with 20 permanent positions.
KP Renewables was established as an independent renewable energy
company in the UK and has already signed power purchase agreements
for green power from biomass and carbon recycling projects, as well
as wind and wave projects that qualify for Renewable Obligation
Certificates. Power retailers must source 10.4% of their electricity
from renewables by 2010.
“Wales has a significant marine energy resource and the Wave Dragon
project has the potential to harness that power to provide clean,
renewable energy,” says economic development minister Andrew Davies.
“Our vision is to make Wales a showcase for clean energy production
and energy efficiency and our marine assets offer new opportunities
for the production of renewable energy and help us meet our targets
by 2020. It also offers us the opportunity to develop the supply
chain for these emerging technologies, and bring further economic
benefits to Wales.”
The Wave Dragon was patented in 1994 by Wave Dragon ApS in Denmark.
Since 1997, 14 academic and industrial partners from six EU
countries have collaborated in the research and development of the
unit, with total investments to date valued at £7 million.
“We believe that the UK’s wave energy potential is even greater than
the potential for the UK’s wind energy industry,” adds James Watkins
of KPR. “Having already developed a promising pipeline of wind
energy opportunities, we felt the need for a strong presence in wave
power, which is a crucial component of the UK renewables mix.”
“The successful commissioning of the first stage 7 MW Wave Dragon
unit will open up the renewable energy market in the UK for Wave
Dragon’s technology,” says Hans Christian Sorensen of Wave Dragon.
“The subsequent development, in the second stage, of a full-scale 70
MW installation, will represent the UK’s first true Wave Power
Station.”
To encourage deployment of wave and tidal demonstration projects,
the government recently published an approvals process for projects
in England and Wales, putting into place the conditions that will
allow Britain’s marine industry to demonstrate the renewable energy
potential of its seas. The required consents in Welsh waters include
approval from the Department of Trade & Industry under the
Electricity Act 1989 and the Energy Act 2004, consent from the Welsh
Assembly Government under Food & Environmental Protection Act 1985,
and consent for any onshore grid connection infrastructure
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