Bombora scoops Wales STEM Award

Bombora Wave Power has been been crowned a winner at the inaugural Wales STEM Awards.

The Pembrokeshire-based company was among 42 innovative companies to be named finalists in Wales Stem Awards 2020 , which celebrated those making a difference to, and championing, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) in Wales.

Bombora was named winner in the ‘start-up category’, which aims to recognise the newest STEM businesses demonstrating real passion, a strong plan, an innovative product and exceptional forecasts for further growth.

On winning the Wales STEM Award, Chris Williams, Bombora’s Commercial Manager, said: “As a team, we are passionate about what we do and how new technology and innovation can positively impact our environment and future generations. STEM disciplines are central to enabling us to harness the sustainable power held within the ocean.

“Winning this award not only recognises the success of our team at Bombora but also the wider supply chain and supporting organisations throughout Wales we work closely with, who champion the environment and a belief in a better way to do energy. We’d like to thank the organisers and sponsors for hosting this excellent event”.

Bombora is an ocean energy company that has developed an innovative wave energy converter product that offers a sustainable solution to mitigate climate change called mWave.

mWave has been designed to deliver low cost, low impact, utility scale renewable electricity for global commercial use, and can operate nearshore on the seabed, or be deployed in deep waters on a floating platform.

Securing European Regional Development Funding through Welsh government, and the backing of an international energy consultancy enabled, Bombora to launch a £19 million technology demonstration project in 2018 in Wales.

The full-scale 1.5MW mWave Pembrokeshire Demonstration Project is currently at the final assembly stage. The mWave prototype is planned to be installed next year off the coast of Pembrokeshire.

Bombora’s significant inward investment to the West Wales coastal region has resulted in, the creation of 27 direct skilled STEM jobs and major contracts awarded to the local supply chain resulting in diversification, capacity building and employment, according to the company.

Head judge Louise Bright, founder of the Wales Women in STEM network, said: “We would like to offer a huge congratulations to all of the winners of the very first Wales STEM Awards. The calibre of those nominated for the awards was second to none and we were overwhelmed by the number of entries we received”.

The Wales STEM Awards were launched last year in a bid to recognise the innovative STEM work being undertaken in Wales, address the diversity gap and skills shortage, and inspire and raise the aspirations of the next generation.