Welsh government has made formal ties with Ocean Energy Europe (OEE) to facilitate structured engagement and collaboration to accelerate the development of marine renewables sector in Wales.
The move is evidence of the strategic importance of Wales in the ocean energy sector as both an early market and a center of technology excellence, OEE informed.
Europe’s ocean energy industry plans to deploy 100GW of capacity by 2050, generating significant economic activity for a pan-European supply chain and 400,000 jobs across Europe, and in order to get there, according to OEE, collaboration between the industry and leading regions such as Wales is key.
Ken Skates , Wales’ Cabinet Secretary for Economy, said: “Joining OEE provides us with a great platform to support this growing sector and to promote the work underway in Wales. It will help us highlight the opportunities these projects present and to maximise the potential benefits for the Welsh economy.”
Rémi Gruet , CEO of OEE, said: “With an excellent ocean energy resource and world-leading technology, Wales will be one of the key early markets where Europe’s ocean energy industry will develop. We look forward to working more closely with the Welsh government in building these markets and creating a new manufacturing industry in Europe.”
OEE is a Brussels-based industry group representing the renewable ocean energy sector in Europe which acts as the main link between Europe’s ocean energy industry and the EU institutions, and EU Member States.