Success story

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The South West RDA’s Wave Hub project will create the world’s largest wave energy farm 10 miles off the coast of Cornwall.

It consists of an electrical ‘socket’ on the seabed that is connected to the National Grid on shore. Wave device developers can plug groups of wave energy devices directly into the hub, allowing them to carry out pre-commercial testing on a scale not seen anywhere in the world before. 

Wave Hub is a cornerstone of the South West RDA’s strategy to create a world-class marine energy industry in the region. It will be a catalyst for a fledgling global industry that could be worth up to £190bn a year within the next 20 years.

The £42m project is a partnership between the RDA, the Convergence European Regional Development Fund, Department for Energy & Climate Change and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The region’s expertise in marine energy was recognised in July when the Government designated the South West the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area.

A Wave Hub general manager has just been appointed. Onshore construction work has started this month and the project will be completed next summer. The first wave energy devices are expected to be deployed in 2011. 

The first wave device developer to commit to one of the four available berths at Wave Hub is Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) which has offices in the US and UK. 

Key facts

• The RDA’s Wave Hub project will be 10 miles off the coast of Hayle and will consist of a giant electrical ‘socket’ in 50 metres of water, connected to the National Grid on shore by a 16.5 mile cable.
• Wave Hub is funded with £12.5m from the South West RDA, £20m from the Convergence European Regional Development Fund and £9.5m from the UK Government.
• It will have an initial capacity of 20MW – enough to power around 7,500 homes – but will be built to handle up to 50MW in the future.
• An independent economic impact assessment has calculated that Wave Hub could create 1,800 jobs and inject £560m in the UK economy over 25 years. Almost 1,000 of these jobs and £332m could be generated in the South West. 

Angus Norman, Chief Executive of OPT commented:

“Wave Hub is sure to become a global showcase for wave power technology and means that it is now gaining momentum as a viable source of renewable energy. OPT has provided strong support to Wave Hub and the South West region’s vision to create a world-class centre for the marine energy industry over the past five years. We are proud to be the first to sign a Commitment Agreement to make this project a commercial reality.”