Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park (PFOW MEP) and South West Marine Energy Park (SW MEP) have joined forces to share knowledge and boost jobs in the marine power industry.
The parks have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a working partnership that will increase the collaboration and sharing of innovative ideas between England and Scotland.
Welcoming the agreement, RenewableUK chief executive Maria McCaffery said that better results could be achieved when industry and the government are brought together with local interests.
"This working partnership between the two marine energy parks will help to attract green investment leading to technological advances as the sector moves towards commercialisation and we invest in the skills of the future," McCaffery said.
"The fact that these two energy parks are at opposite ends of the country also shows just as how marine energy allows different parts of the UK to benefit from wave and tidal technologies."
Parsons Brinckerhoff strategic director Peter Kydd signed the agreement as chairman of SW MEP, while Calum Davidson from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) signed on behalf of PFOW MEP at RenewableUK’s annual Wave and Tidal Conference in London last week.
Kydd noted that there are "strong relationships" between firms and research facilities in the two regions, while adding that the two marine energy parks will work together to promote and accelerate the development of marine energy technologies.
Davidson stated; "The MoU recognises the work already being undertaken by both regions and will help to accelerate their place on the worldwide marine energy stage as well as attracting investment and furthering the industry’s ambition for commercialisation."
Image: The marine parks will increase sharing of innovative ideas between England and Scotland. Photo: Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
