| The south-west of England is to be
named as the UK's first marine energy park.
The announcement was made by climate change minister Greg
Barker during a visit to Bristol.
The South West Marine Energy Park will stretch from Bristol
to Cornwall and as far as the Isles of Scilly.
The announcement establishes a partnership in the region
between national and local government, Local Enterprise Partnerships,
the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter and industry, including
Cornwall's Wave Hub.
The aim of the partnership will be to speed up the progress
of marine power development. Energy from the waves or tides
has the potential to generate up to 27GW of power in the UK
alone by 2050 - equivalent to the power generated from 8 coal-fired
power stations.
Barker said - "This is a real milestone for the marine industry
and for the south-west region in securing its place in renewables
history as the first official marine energy park. The south-west
can build on its existing unique mix of renewable energy resource
and home-grown academic, technical and industrial expertise.
"Marine power has huge potential in the UK - not just in
contributing to a greener electricity supply and cutting emissions,
but in supporting thousands of jobs in a sector worth a possible
£15bn to the economy to 2050.
"The UK is already a world leader in wave and tidal power,
so we should capitalise on this leadership to make marine
power a real contender in the future energy market."
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