The Welsh Government is supporting marine energy developer Minesto with the award of €14.9 million of EU funding for the next phase of its tidal energy scheme in Wales.
Commenting on the funding decision, Minesto’s CEO Dr Martin Edlund said: “This is a key contribution to the commercialization of our technology and a strong sign of commitment from the Welsh Government. We are pleased to see that we share an agenda to industrialize tidal energy in Wales, to enable large-scale local clean energy production from Welsh tidal streams. By doing so we will enable long-term industrial development in North Wales.”
The €14.9 million European Regional Development Fund grant awarded through the Welsh Government will support the next phase of Minesto’s commercial development of Deep Green in Wales.
The investment will facilitate continued site development and operations at Minesto’s Holyhead Deep site 6km off the coast of Anglesey.
It will also provide enhancement of Minesto’s utility-scale product range, and facilitate installation and operation of an additional, uprated (at least 50 percent higher than current 0.5MW system) unit in Holyhead Deep.
The investment will also strengthen manufacturing and assembling capability.
In addition it will facilitate securing permits and consents for expanding the Holyhead Deep site towards a commercial 80 MW tidal energy farm, along with a design of subsea infrastructure for the 80MW site development.
Counsel General and Brexit Minister, Jeremy Miles , responsible for overseeing European funds in Wales, said: “Generating energy from renewable sources is not only vital in creating a low-carbon economy and contributing to the global challenge of climate change, it also provides Wales with a real opportunity to be at the forefront of a major emerging industry.”
Economy Minister and Minister for North Wales, Ken Skates added: “This significant investment will take Minesto’s operation to the next level, supporting the expansion of the company’s manufacturing and assembly capacity at its North Wales base. It’s good news for jobs in the area, as well as a big boost to the local supply chain.”
Minesto has funded the development of its marine energy technology, a subsea kite technology called Deep Green, through a mix of private equity and public grants. Having previously received substantial support from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh European Funding Office (€13m) and InnoEnergy (€5.5m), Minesto and the Deep Green technology is the EU’s largest investment in marine energy to date.