Penzance satellite company and Goonhilly Earth Station to receive share of £47 million

In the latest of a series of pre-election announcements by the Government, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced that money would be given from the Regional Growth Fund.

However, the specific amounts being given have yet to be revealed and have been described as “conditional offers.”

Avanti Communications, which has a base at Goonhilly Downs, on the Lizard Peninsula, provides satellite data communications services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

It is building a state of the art satellite control centre at its facility at Goonhilly, to operate its expanding satellite fleet.

Goonhilly Earth Station itself has also been listed in its own right. The company in charge is developing the former satellite earth station into a space science centre.

The site itself is already open for commercial business and fully operational as a satellite communications teleport. It carries business internet data, and also is used as a command and control centre for controlling various satellites.

Since the Deputy Prime Minister launched the fund in 2010, a total of £240 million has been invested in 50 projects across the south west.

The full list of bidders in the South West with conditional offers from the latest phase of funding reads:

City College Plymouth (Plymouth)

University of the West of England (Programme, covers the whole of the South West)

Plymouth University/SWMAS Ltd (Programme, exact coverage to be determined)

Avanti Communications Group plc (Penzance)

Plessey Semiconductors Limited (Plymouth)

University of Gloucestershire (Programme, covers Gloucestershire)

Ashwoods Automotive Ltd (Exeter)

Anthony Best Dynamics Ltd (Bradford on Avon)

Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited (Bristol)

Corin Limited (Cirencester)

Spirent Communications PLC (Paignton)

Tulip Ltd (St Austell)

Goonhilly Earth Station (Helston)

Hymec Aerospace (UK) Ltd (Plymouth)