The Port of Milford Haven has confirmed it will be a gold sponsor of this year’s Marine Energy Wales conference, the largest conference in the UK dedicated to marine energy, as its involvement with the industry strengthens.

The annual conference brings together professionals from across the marine energy sector over three days offering networking opportunities and discussions about the challenges and future opportunities for developments in Wales.

The Port of Milford Haven is working closely with industry to ensure it adapts to changing demands and is creating the spaces, facilities and services that will support device development and operations to establish a world-class centre of excellence for marine energy and engineering. The Pembroke Dock Marine development is set to create an attractive operating environment for inward investors and local businesses, creating year-round, highly-skilled, well paid jobs for the community.

Presenting at the conference will be the Port’s Energy Development Manager, Tam Bardell, who has been pivotal in the piSCES project which uses smart grid technology to reduce the costs and carbon footprint of energy networks in the fish processing industry. Tam will also present on Milford Haven: Energy Kingdom, a £4.5 million project exploring the vital role hydrogen could play in a decarbonised energy future.

Tim James, Head of Commercial and Energy at the Port, will be on hand to discuss the Port’s involvement in the £60m Swansea Bay City Deal Pembroke Dock Marine project, as well as the more specific Pembroke Dock Infrastructure project at Pembroke Port. The development builds on the Port’s existing facilities to ensure we can continue to support developers as they move towards commercialisation.

Tim is looking forward to the three-day event, commenting “We are proud to be supporting Marine Energy Wales with their highly acclaimed conference. As well as talking to delegates about smart grid technology, hydrogen possibilities and the changes at Pembroke Port as part of Pembroke Dock Marine, it’s a chance to celebrate the collective achievements of technology developers and the supply chain. There has been a great deal of inward investment here, a number of new businesses have established themselves in the area and the supply chain has secured contracts that deliver significant benefits for the sector. It’s an exciting time for Pembrokeshire as it strengthens its role in the decarbonised energy sector.”

Jess Hooper, Programme Manager at Marine Energy Wales said “We are really pleased to have the ongoing support of the Port of Milford Haven who are one of our gold sponsors at our Marine Energy Wales Conference this week. The conference on 27th-29th January showcases the exciting activity happening in the Welsh marine energy industry and you can hear from key players about current projects and plans for the future. The Port of Milford Haven will be available to engage with in our exhibition hall where they will be highlighting how they can provide the spaces, facilities and services that will support device development and operations.”

The Pembroke Dock Infrastructure project as part of Pembroke Dock Marine has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

The piSCES project is funded by the EU Interreg Ireland-Wales Programme.

MH:EK is one of the chosen ‘Detailed Design’ projects within the Prospering from the Energy Revolution (PfER) programme of works funded by Innovate UK as part of their Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).

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Photo caption: Pembroke Port is set to become a world-class centre for marine energy and engineering.


Notes to Editors

Port of Milford Haven

The Port of Milford Haven is the UK’s top energy port and Wales’ busiest port handling around 20% of Britain’s seaborne trade in oil and gas. It is widely recognised in the industry as the energy capital of the UK.
The Port, along with the cluster of energy-related businesses along the Waterway, is a key driver of economic activity in Pembrokeshire, attracting inward investment and supporting over 4,000 jobs.
The Port of Milford Haven also owns and operates Pembroke Port and Milford Dock. Activities such as cargo handling, ferry operations, fish landing and cruise calls as well as a first class marina are spread across these two sites.
One of the most prominent on the West Coast, the Port is in the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only Coastal National Park in Great Britain. It is marked as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and has many areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The Port of Milford Haven is a trust port – an independent, commercially run organisation that has statutory responsibilities governed by its Acts, to maintain and improve navigation and the provision of Port and Harbour services and facilities. Additionally, the Port provides significant financial and in-kind support to a wide variety of local causes. All profits are retained within the business to fund these objectives.

Pembroke Dock Marine

The Pembroke Dock Infrastructure project is part of the £60m Swansea Bay City Deal project, Pembroke Dock Marine, that will establish a world-class marine energy and engineering centre of excellence for design, test, build and deployment of marine energy devices, with potential for use by other industries. A core element of the project is the redevelopment of the Gate 4 site at Pembroke Port which has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. This will be critical in attracting and retaining the industry as it matures, and will include:

• large scale creation of external laydown and fabrication spaces
• construction of a supersize slipway
• new workboat berthing
• development of some of the Port’s heritage buildings into office spaces
• construction of a light assembly and maintenance building

The Swansea Bay City Deal is an investment of up to £1.3 billion in a portfolio of nine major programmes and projects across the Swansea Bay City Region, which is made up of Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea, Funded by the UK Government, the Welsh Government, the public sector and the private sector, the Swansea Bay City Deal is being led by Carmarthenshire County Council, Neath Port Talbot Council, Pembrokeshire Council and Swansea Council, in partnership with Swansea University, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea Bay University Health Board and Hywel Dda University Health Board.

For further information, visit www.mhpa.co.uk or contact:
Anna Malloy
Port of Milford Haven
01646 696100
anna.malloy@mhpa.co.uk