91 Members of Parliament from all the main parties have signed a letter to the Energy Minister Claire Perry, urging her to put measures in place to ensure that the UK capitalises on its role as a world leader in wave and tidal energy.
The letter was written by the Richard Graham MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Marine Energy and Tidal Lagoons, and includes signatures from a number of Welsh MPs. It calls for the Government to ensure that a revenue support mechanism for marine energy is included in its upcoming Energy White Paper.
The letter warns that the UK faces competition from the global market from countries such as Canada, the USA and China however, with the right support, the UK could be a world leader in a sector which is predicted to be worth £76 billion by 2050.
Last month Marine Energy Wales launched its State of the Sector report highlighted the positive contribution marine renewable energy is making to the Welsh economy. There are currently 16 marine energy developers actively progressing projects in Welsh waters and a total of £96.2 million worth of investment has been spent in the country to date. Strategic developments are taking place across Wales to ensure that infrastructure, testing and demonstration facilities are in place to support the sector, however financial support from the UK Government is essential to allow the industry to grow.
The letter comes just days after the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published results of a Public Attitudes Tracker which found that public support for wave and tidal energy has reached a new record high of 82%.
David Jones, Project Director of Marine Energy Wales said, “It is pleasing to see MPs unite throughout the UK in support of the sector, not just at constituency level but across political parties. Wales has been clear about the benefits marine energy has and could bring. We hope the UK Government will recognise the important role of marine energy and take the necessary enabling actions.”