New marine energy research unit

The hub should deliver electricity to the national grid by 2009

A £15m institute for research into marine renewable energy is being created in the South West.

The Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (Primare) is a joint venture between the universities of Exeter and Plymouth.

It will work alongside the new £28m wave hub project off the Cornish coast and marine energy developers.

Government approval has been given for the hub, which will collect energy from wave turbines to power 14,000 homes.

The proposed power station will involve up to 20 sets of machines, with pumps, pistons and turbines.

The hub should deliver electricity to the national grid by 2009 and is expected to generate £330m for the regional economy over 25 years.

Primare will aim to support the hub, wave energy device developers and the marine energy community in general.

The institute is a joint venture between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and will be based in Plymouth and at the Combined Universities in Cornwall campus in Falmouth.

An initial investment of £1.4m from the South West RDA has enabled the institute to recruit new research teams and bring a number of experts to work in the region from the autumn.