Marine energy boost for Falmouth
1:00pm Friday 27th January 2012 in News
Marine industry jobs in Falmouth are predicted to grow tenfold over the next five years – after the government this week designated the south west region as the UK’s first marine energy park.
Climate change minister Greg Barker made the announcement on a visit to Bristol, where he met with key members of the new initiative.
The South West Marine Energy Park will stretch from Falmouth, Hayle and the Isles of Scilly up to Bristol – and has been likened to a marine equivalent of California’s Silicon Valley.
It will create a partnership in the region between national and local government, Local Enterprise Partnerships, the universities of Plymouth and Exeter and industry including the Falmouth-based Wave Hub and the FaBTest marine renewables nursery site in Falmouth Bay.
The aim of the partnership will be to speed up the progress of marine power development – leading to an expected jobs boom across the region.
At present, some 500 people are employed by around 350 companies in the marine energy sector – but it is suggested that by 2017 the number of jobs could grow to 5,000.
