Menter Môn hires consultants to run Environmental Impact Assessments
Menter Môn has hired Royal HaskoningDHV and Welsh consultancy MarineSpace to run Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for project bids to be carried out at its marine energy demonstration zone, the West Anglesey Demonstration Zone.
Marine energy production systems aim to leverage the energy contained within various natural marine environments in a sustainable manner. Several technologies exist, including tidal energy, wave energy, and difference of temperature and salinity energy. The technology, in many instances, is still in the development phase.
In a bid to provide marine energy technology developers with a space to test their latest innovations, the Crown Estate is leasing a range of marine areas within its estate, around the UK, that make for a suitable test bed. One of the areas secured is the West Anglesey Demonstration Zone (Morlais Tidal Energy Demonstration Zone), which offers appropriate wave and tidal energy potential and access to necessary infrastructure, including ports and the electricity grid.
Menter Môn is a social enterprise, which was founded around 1995. The enterprise has taken on the role of Third Party Manager for the Morlais Tidal Energy Demonstration Zone with the aim of accommodating marine technology developers as well as servicing their requirements once they have located on Anglesey – thereby creating a range of benefits for the local economy.
Menter Môn has called upon consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV to run Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for the 12 companies that have so far started bidding to use space for their projects within the Morlais Tidal Energy Demonstration Zone. The consultancy will work closely with Welsh consultancy MarineSpace, to deliver EIAs for applicant projects.
Dafydd Gruffydd, Menter Môn, comments that the social enterprise is “very excited” to begin this next phase of the project with the support of these teams. Gruffydd adds: “Alongside our ongoing leasing round and progress towards grid and finance, this is an important milestone in our project development.”
Frank Fortune, Royal HaskoningDHV Technical Director, adds: “Royal HaskoningDHV is very pleased to continue its excellent relationship with Menter Môn on the Morlais project. This is a great opportunity to continue our leading position in the tidal energy sector and build on our successes to date, and Morlais is a key project for the tidal sector in Wales, as well as being internationally significant. Together with the MarineSpace team, our aims are to deliver consent for Menter Môn, and secure Wales’ position in the tidal sector.”
