Marine Energy Wales (MEW) and the UK Marine Energy Council (MEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, outlining and enhancing their collaborative efforts to support the marine industry in Wales and the wider UK.
Both organisations are committed to realising Wales and the wider UK’s potential and supporting marine energy, playing a key role in a secure, cost-effective transition to net zero.
The recently signed agreement is expected to help recognise opportunities for mutual support and areas of collaboration, particularly around tidal stream and wave energy development.
MEW and MEC are pledging to work together to build the case for the deployment of renewables in Wales and the UK by working to influence stakeholders and remove or reduce barriers for developers, and support the growth of a healthy supply chain which can support all renewable energy activities.
Also, they collaborate on staging events that raise the profile of and attract investment to Wales, encouraging business development, political engagement and networking, and engage to support an enabling policy environment.
Marine Energy Wales brings together technology developers, the supply chain, academia, and the public sector to establish Wales as a global leader in sustainable marine energy generation.
It is an initiative set up and managed by Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, a Community Interest Company with the vision to secure sustainable coasts and oceans for future generations.
The MEW programme is in part directly funded by the Welsh Government in support of its policy objectives for the offshore renewable industry in Wales, and by its own member organisations.
The UK Marine Energy Council is the trade association and representative body for the UK’s tidal stream and wave energy industries. Established in 2018 the MEC is committed to realising the potential of tidal stream and wave energy, to support a secure, cost-effective transition to net zero, and make the UK attractive to renewable investors.
The MEC has played a key role in influencing the external policy environment and proactively defending the interests of tidal stream and wave energy.
This includes securing the ringfence for tidal stream in the UK’s last renewable auction, improving the policy environment for both tidal and wave energy, and building a collaborative and innovative environment that makes the UK a world-leader in ocean energy.
