World's largest wave farm gets the green light under plans to convert South-West England into renewable energy leader

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South-West England will become the world's largest wave farm under government plans to create a new leading centre in wave and tidal technologies.

The Wave Hub project will see a giant national grid-connected socket built on the seabed off the coast of Cornwall in a pioneering energy project.

Announcing an investment of £9.5 million for the scheme, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said it would create up to 1,800 new jobs.

A PowerBuoy wave energy converter, which is to be used as part of the Wave Hub project off the coast of Cornwall

He also named the region as the UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area.

The Wave Hub project aims to create the UK's first offshore facility which will demonstrate the operation of wave energy generation devices.

The Wave Hub provides an area of sea with grid connection and planning consent where arrays and devices can be operated over several years.

These will eventually be able to generate electricity from the power of the waves and will allow developers to transmit and sell energy to Britain's electricity distribution grid.

The project received the official go-ahead today from the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA).

An artists impression of the Wave Hub project, which will see a giant national grid-connected socket built on the seabed off the coast of Cornwall

Stephen Peacock, enterprise and innovation executive director of the South West RDA, said it was an unprecedented opportunity for the region.

'Being identified as the UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area is a tremendous accolade and recognition of our commitment to develop this unprecedented economic opportunity,' he said.

'We want to forge a new industry from the seas around our shores and today's announcements cement our position as a global leader in wave and tidal technologies.

'We also welcome the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy which sets out a range of opportunities to ensure that we take advantage of a global market for low carbon products and services that could be worth £4.3 trillion by 2015.'

It is hoped the South-West region willl become a world centre for wave and tidal energy

A further £10 million has been made available for the South West RDA to support other marine energy projects in the region.

The project will see infrastructure built including a sub-station building and an adjacent connection point to the distribution network.

From there, a cable will be taken through a duct beneath the sand dunes and then across the seabed to an eight square kilometre area within which the devices will be moored.

The European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme also announced it would invest £20 million in Wave Hub, which will be commissioned next summer.

The first equipment orders for the project were placed this week.

The Wave Hub project could create up to 1,800 jobs for the region

The combined Government, RDA, European and private sector funding in the South West's marine energy programme in the next two years is expected to top £100 million.

Today's announcements form part of the Government's Low Carbon Industrial Strategy.

This includes a White Paper on The Low Carbon Transition Plan as well as the UK's Renewable Energy Strategy, the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy and Carbon Reduction Strategy for Transport.