Marine Energy Wales will be hosting their 2017 Annual Conference on 30th March in Swansea, and with a month to go tickets are selling fast. Exhibition space is sold out, and the site visit of Tidal Lagoon Power is fully booked.
In 2016, Marine Energy Wales was launched by the team behind Marine Energy Pembrokeshire, to represent the marine energy industry at a national level and to drive forward development in Wales. This year’s conference will build on the last 7 years of Marine Energy Pembrokeshire Industry Seminars, each of which have been fully booked with experts from across the field of marine renewables.
The conference has relocated to a larger venue in the form of the Liberty Stadium, due to the increased interest in the sector in Wales. It has been an important year for the development of the marine energy industry in Wales, with many positive steps being taken across the country. The team are particularly excited to bring the conference to Swansea following the publication of the Hendry Review, which not only gave great support for Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay, but also delivered a positive message for the wider wave and tidal stream sectors.
David Jones, Project Director of Marine Energy Wales said:
“It is going to be a record year in terms of conference attendees. This is testament to the huge amount of work that has taken place across Wales in the last 12 months and our conference will showcase this progression. In North Wales eight tidal developers have been awarded berths by Morlais at the Anglesey Demonstration Zone and Minesto has up scaled plans to develop an 80MW project. In Pembrokeshire Marine Power Systems and Wave-tricity are both constructing their wave devices and feasibility has begun on the world’s largest wave energy seabed lease. Swansea is set to be home to the world’s first tidal lagoon power plant following the endorsement of Charles Hendry and his team, as well as over 100 MPs. This is an exciting time for marine energy and we are thrilled to be a part of it.”
Interest in Wales has increased dramatically over the last 12 months due to a combination of factors including the €100.4 million structural funding prioritised for marine energy, the huge amounts of natural resource available, the skilled and experience supply chain and the support of Welsh Government.
Event hosts Marine Energy Wales are delighted that Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure will deliver the keynote address. The programme is varied and includes technology developers, supply chain, academia and public sector representatives.
In order to further discussion and networking ahead of the conference a networking dinner will be held the evening before the conference.
For details on the conference and how to book, visit the Marine Energy Wales website www.marineenergywales.co.uk/about/annual-conference/
Download this press release here.
