The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has been named ‘Blue Economy Business of the Year’ at the European Commission’s Blue Economy Business Awards 2016.
Accepting the accolade at an awards ceremony in Hamburg, EMEC’s Commercial Director, Oliver Wragg , said:
“It’s an honour to accept this award on behalf of the EMEC team. The commitment of the team in Orkney, of the technology developers and the supporting supply chain to developing a new energy source is exceptional.
“EMEC was set up to kick start a new sustainable industry in Europe: to harness the power of Europe’s unrivalled wave and tidal resources; to stimulate economic development in coastal European communities; and to encourage inward investment and develop export opportunities for our supply chains.
“Orkney now acts as a fantastic case study for the economic benefits that can be achieved through the activities taking place in and around a test facility – activities that if developed to a larger scale will form a new sustainable industry for the blue economy.”
Organised by the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), the Blue Economy Business Awards aims to showcase excellent practices from industry, honouring those who have made a specific contribution to bringing and developing innovation in the blue economy.
Commenting on the awards, Joao Aguiar Machado , Director-General for DG MARE said: “We highlighted stories of people and organizations that have created and shared exciting new knowledge and who have championed new technologies; stories of research and project results that have left the lab and are proving to be of real practical use in the blue economy.”