The south-west of England is due to become a world leader in
green energy generation, a politician said as he opened a power district in the region.
Minister for energy and climate change Greg Barker unveiled the South West Marine Energy Park, which could result in a ten-fold increase in the number of jobs in this sector within five years, the Western Morning News reports.
Forecasts indicate there could be 5,000 employment opportunities in this industry by 2017, although at present around 500 people work in this area for approximately 350 companies.
The park will be spread across parts of Bristol, Cornwall and Devon and should export
renewable energy technology to South America and China, while providing thousands of homes in the UK with clean
electricity.
Mr Barker hopes linking together academic research establishments, offshore energy initiatives such as the Wave Hub in Cornwall, major ports and testing tanks, while utilising state funding, could boost the nation's tidal and wave energy sector.
"We have only just begun. We are swimming in the shallow end. A huge proportion of our power will come from the south-west, but it does not stop there. There is a huge global market here," he told the publication.
By 2050, this renewable energy industry could be worth around £70 billion to the country's economy and most of this would be invested in the park, making the south-west the marine equivalent to locations such as Silicon Valley in California.
Regen SW, the enterprise that drew up the prospectus for the initiative, noted the scheme will create a "collaborative partnership" that will enhance the development of electricity production from marine sources.
John Callaghan, wave and tidal programme manager for the Crown Estate, which is assisting in the development, said the group is "delighted to be working with Regen SW and others to understand the potential for project development off the south-west of England as the South West Marine Energy Park is launched".
Posted by James McDonald
