Press release: FORESEA awards support to ten ocean energy technology developers
The FORESEA (Funding Ocean Renewable Energy through Strategic European Action) Programme has awarded a ‘Recommendation for Support’ to ten ocean energy technology developers. The support will help commercialise these technologies by providing free access to open-sea test centres. The announcement was made at the Ocean Energy Europe 2016 Conference & Exhibition in Brussels today.
FORESEA is an €11m project which helps to bring offshore renewable energy technologies to market by providing free access through tailored support packages to a world-leading network of test centres: EMEC (UK), SEM-REV (France), SmartBay (Ireland) and Stichting Tidal Testing Centre (Netherlands). Access is awarded through a series of competitive calls for application. It is financed by Interreg Europe.
The first FORESEA call for applications closed on 21 September. Applications were assessed by FORESEA’s User Selection Board, who have awarded a ‘Recommendation for Support’ to ten technology developers. Final confirmation of support will be granted to developers upon contract with the relevant test centre.
Awards were granted to the following companies:
- Aquantis Ltd
- Corpower Ocean
- GEPS Techno
- Laminaria
- Mako Turbines
- Nautricity
- Pytheas Technology
- QED Naval
- Seacurrent
- Zyba
To mark the awards, the FORESEA programme will host a Drinks Reception at 17:30 today at the Ocean Energy Europe 2016 Conference & Exhibition, with addresses from Neil Kermode, Managing Director, EMEC and Maud Skäringer, European Commission.
Patrik Moller, CEO of CorPower Ocean – a wave energy technology developer and recipient of a FORESEA award said:
“This FORESEA award is an important part of the financial package which will help us to fully capitalise on our installation at EMEC, leverage further investment, and progress towards the marketplace.”
Another recipient of a FORESEA award, Jean-Luc Longeroche, chairman & CEO of Geps Techno – a wave energy powered autonomous platform developer said:
“We are very proud to obtain this FORESEA award. It will help us finance sea trials on the SEM-REV site and then to reach sea-proven status with a new power range for our technology. Being selected as a promising technology is also a very positive sign for our future investors.”
Bruno Retailleau, President of the French region Pays de la Loire and President of the Atlantic Arc Commission of CPMR, adds:
“The Pays de la Loire region is among the European leading territories for testing facilities dedicated to marine renewable energies. The Region is supporting the sector by funding leading-edge test infrastructures such as the SEM-REV. The European Union should foster these bottom-up developments by supporting R&I projects and facilitating commercialisation.
“Tests in open-sea conditions are a critical stage in validating a technology but they require significant levels of investment. The FORESEA project addresses in a very concrete manner this challenge. Thanks to FORESEA, two new ocean energy technologies should be tested in Pays de la Loire.”
EMEC’s Nic Wallet, FORESEA Manager, concludes:
“The FORESEA programme’s first call has been very successful with many high calibre applications received and we are delighted to recommend ten technologies for support packages. The level of interest we’ve had from technology developers in the programme has been very encouraging, and shows how vibrant the sector is becoming. We look forward to welcoming some of the applicants to EMEC in the near future.”
Ends
