A new business hub dedicated to marine renewable energies has been launched in the Pays de la Loire, a region in Western France.
The newly established West Atlantic Marine Energy Center aims to make the region an international leader in the marine renewables sector by the year 2020.
The initiative is the result of a collaborative research-training-innovation project launched in 2012 by educational institutions, local government, industry players and interested organizations.
Frédéric Grizaud, director of STX France’s marine Energies Business Unit, said that hub will play the role of project accelerator, whose organization will enable companies advance faster in the marine energy markets.
The overall budget for the West Atlantic Marine Energy Center is estimated to be EUR 100 mln over five years, with EUR 4 mln contributed by the Pays de la Loire Region of which EUR 800.000 comes from the European Regional Development Fund.
The first objective on the joint road map for 2015-2020 is to become the leader in the fixed foundation offshore turbine market, especially for sites with severe weather conditions.
In parallel, the Pays de la Loire will continue to play a role in the development of other emerging marine renewable energy technologies, such as tidal turbines, marine thermal energy and wave power generation.
The project is run by the École Centrale de Nantes, the University of Nantes, the EMC2 competitiveness cluster and the Jules Verne Institute of Research and Technology, with support from the Pays de la Loire Region, and European Regional Development Fund.
Image: emr-paysdelaloire.fr/Illustration