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Press Release 7 March 2012
Inverness,
Scotland: Voith Hydro Wavegen, the Inverness-based wave energy
company, hosted Ed Davey, the Secretary of State for Energy &
Climate Change, on Saturday showing him the technology which has
delivered the world’s first full life commercial wave energy
plant.
In 2011 Voith Hydro Wavegen commissioned the first
grid-connected marine power plant in Spain for EVE, the Basque
Energy Board. This is the first wave energy plant to be sold
with full commercial guarantees.
CEO Matthew
Seed said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to show Mr
Davey the progress made from demonstration to commercial
deployment of wave energy technology. The Mutriku project is a
huge advance in the development of marine energy as it
demonstrates our ability to deliver reliable technology, on a
commercial basis, to international customers.
“Now we have
proven technology and equipment we can build on these
achievements to deliver projects around the world, including the
Siadar project in the Western Isles. Siadar will be one of the
largest wave energy plants in the world and will confirm
Scotland’s status as the most attractive location for the
sector.”
During his
visit Mr Davey witnessed Voith Hydro Wavegen’s wavetank in
action including a simulation of real sea conditions acting on a
scale model of the Siadar breakwater, and saw early prototypes
of the turbine-generators which will be used to generate power
in Siadar and other projects. Mr Davey also took the opportunity
to discuss current and future energy policy with Voith Hydro
Wavegen management.
Mr. Davey
said:
“The UK is
already a world leader in wave and tidal power so we should
capitalise on this to make marine power a real contender in the
future energy market and support jobs and create export
opportunities.
“I was
impressed to see for myself the facilities that Voith Hydro
Wavegen use to test their technology, as well as to learn more
about their plans for the future. This is a company with a
distinguished track record in marine energy and a great example
of what is being achieved in the sector. Marine energy may be a
relatively young industry, but it will make a material
contribution to our renewable energy targets and we will
continue to give it our full support.”
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Notes to Editors
About Voith
Hydro Wavegen
Voith Hydro
Wavegen Ltd is based in Inverness where it also operates
state-of-the-art wave power research and development facilities.
Voith Hydro
Wavegen’s Limpet plant on Islay was the first commercial scale
grid connected wave energy plant and has been in continuous
operation for eleven years. It has accumulated over 70,000 grid
connected generating hours, providing a wealth of data to
optimise plant performance.
The planned
Siadar Wave Energy Project on the west coast of the Lewis is the
largest consented wave energy project worldwide.
About
Voith Hydro
Hydro power is
the biggest and oldest, and at the same time most reliable
source of renewable energy generation. All over the world, hydro
power makes an essential contribution to economic and social
development in industrialised countries as well as fast-growing
regions. Moreover, it contributes significantly to climate
friendly energy generation. Since the beginnings of hydro power
generation, Voith has been a leading provider of hydro power
technology and pushes its further advancement.
Voith Hydro
is a Group Division of Voith and - with a workforce of approx.
5,300 employees and a sales volume of more than 1.2 billion
Euros in the business year 2010/2011 – belongs to the world-wide
leading companies for hydro power equipment.
Voith sets
standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials
and transportation & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs
more than 40,000 people, generates €5.6 billion in sales,
operates in more than 50 countries around the world and is today
one of the biggest family-owned companies in Europe.
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For further information contact: |
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Matthew Seed
Voith Hydro
Wavegen Limited
Tel. +44 (0)
1463 238094
Fax +44 (0) 1463 238096
Matthew.Seed@wavegen.com |
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