The Welsh wave and tidal national test centre META has signed a lease with the Crown Estate.
The milestone allows the organisation to launch the opening of the “energetic” test sites on Pembrokeshire’s south coast.
The open water test sites are the next stepping stone for META operations following the launch of their Phase 1 Quayside sites in 2019.
META has now secured all licenses and consents to be a fully operational test centre, it said.
These test sites offer moderate to high energy areas for operational ‘real-sea’ testing: Warrior Way tidal site; Dale Roads wave test site; and East Pickard Bay wave and floating offshore wind component test site.
All benefit from stronger wave or tidal stream resource, and greater depth and area than META’s Quayside sites, whilst still being situated close to Pembroke Port.
Saul Young, META Operations Manager, said: “This marks our final milestone in creating Wales’ first operational marine energy test centre. We are really pleased to have now signed this agreement with The Crown Estate and look forward to welcoming our first clients this Autumn to our Open Water test sites.
“Going forward, by providing a consented facility for technology testing and validation we aim to successfully support technology development and growth in the marine energy sector.”
Huub den Rooijen, Managing Director of The Crown Estate’s Marine portfolio, added:
“Welsh waters offer exciting potential to unlock new energy capacity in support of the UK’s transition to Net Zero. We are therefore very pleased to award this lease which will allow vital testing and research of renewable offshore technologies to advance at pace, further strengthening Wales’s expertise in the renewables sector.”