Top news, June 8 – 14, 2015

Tidal Energy Today Staff has compiled the top news from tidal and wave energy industry from June 8 – 14, 2015.

UK: Planning consent granted for Swansea Bay tidal lagoon

UK Secretary of State, Amber Rudd, has granted the planning consent for construction of the world’s first tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay. Separately from the planning consent, the £1 bln worth project is still subject to Contract for Difference (CFD) negotiations to establish whether a tidal lagoon at Swansea Bay is affordable and value for money for consumers.

EMEC cuts jobs as part of restructuring

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) will make redundancies as part of restructuring process to ensure the company can respond to wave and tidal industry market demands. Neil Kermode, EMEC’s Managing Director, said the restructuring would take place over the coming months and the staff would receive the necessary support to go through the process.

WES: Call for novel wave energy converters

Wave Energy Scotland (WES) has issued a second competitive project call for the development of novel wave energy converters. There are three stages for the novel wave energy converter call. The contracts for the the first stage may be awarded up to £300.000 per project over a twelve month period for concept characterization and refinement. The overall budget available from WES for projects is up to £2.4 mln.

Chile gets marine R&D center MERIC

The government of Chile, through the Ministry of Energy and Corfo, has signed an agreement with French-based DCNS to create a $20 mln worth marine energy research and development center in Chile. From 2019 onwards, MERIC is expected to have the infrastructure and experience to provide services to local and international industry who wish to test MRE technologies in the Chilean marine environment.

Azura wave energy device powers military base in Hawaii

NWEI’s Azura wave energy device has been connected to the Hawaiian electricity grid, and is delivering power to Marine Corps Base located on the island. According to US DoE, further testing at the Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site will gather critical performance data to address technical risks and inform future designs to accelerate the commercialization and deployment of MHK technologies in the United States.

Tidal Energy Today Staff