First UK marine energy park to be built in South West

Once completed, the park will stretch from Bristol through to Cornwall and as far as the Isles of Scilly, and will have the potential to generate 27gigawatts of power from the waves and tides of the area by 2050 – the same amount of power generated by eight coal-fired plants. The project will draw on public and private resources with a boost from the world's leading wave energy research and development facilities located along the future Marine Energy Park's coastline. "Marine power has huge potential in the UK not just in contributing to a greener electricity supply and cutting emissions, but in supporting thousands of jobs in a sector worth a possible £15billion to the economy," said Barker. "The UK is already a world leader in wave and tidal power, so we should capitalise on this leadership to make marine power a real contender in the future energy market." Barker also used his visit to launch the South West Marine Energy Park Prospectus, which outlines how the region's public and private sector will work together with the government and other key bodies such as the Crown Estate. The work to develop the South West Marine Energy Park has been commissioned by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council. The work was undertaken by Regen SW.