Franco-British partnership set to drive forward marine energy development

The French Renewable Energy Trade Association (SER) and the UK Marine Energy Council (UK MEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance their collaboration on the development of tidal energy sector.

UK MEC and SER have agreed to share their analyses, good practices, and industry insights to support the development of innovative tidal energy technologies, and bring them to technical and commercial maturity as soon as possible in order to contribute to energy transition movement in both France and UK.

The agreement will facilitate cross-promotion and communication actions between the SER and UK MEC and structure the exchange of information and documentation on shared issues and, with the aim of improving the industry know-how.

The partnership paves the way for the concrete formalisation of collaborative actions and synergies in the field of marine renewable energies, and also marks a new stage in the TIGER project.

Sue Barr, president of UK MEC, said: “Our marine energy industry is poised to deliver significant benefits to Europe, both in terms of electrical generation capacity and economic growth. By forging alliances such as this, and with the Interreg TIGER programme, we can maximise the growth and benefits the sector can bring. To deliver success, we need to work collaboratively, and I look forward to working with SER on marine energy industry development”.

Jean-Louis Bal, president of SER, said: “This agreement marks the beginning of a collaboration which will be, I am convinced, fruitful and enriching, with key players in the marine renewable energy sector in Europe. It is now up to us to keep this collaboration alive and thrive for the benefit of the development of our marine sectors and which also testifies to the capacity of the sector to organise itself”.