WAVE Hub Limited (WHL) has submitted an environmental scoping report to Natural Resources Wales and the Marine Management Organisation for the Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone (PDZ).

The report, filed on February 22, considers a mix of wave energy and floating wind technology with a maximum total electricity generation of 100 megawatts, and asks for a formal opinion on what issues should be covered by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone is an offshore site leased by The Crown Estate to WHL for the deployment of large scale wave energy arrays.

The site is 90sq km, located approximately 15km off the South Pembrokeshire coastline and the proposed onshore grid connection is at Pembroke Dock Power Station.

Madeline Cowley, the PDZ project manager, said: “This is an important milestone for the Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone and marine energy in Wales.

“The feasibility study commissioned by WHL has concluded there would be a benefit in sharing the PDZ site and grid infrastructure with a more commercially developed project. Floating wind is developing rapidly and there are very few existing demonstration sites for this technology in the UK. We know the PDZ would be a good location to test floating wind as it has a good wind resource and the water depth is suitable for most types of floating wind technology. We have received a lot of interest from developers looking for sites to deploy at.

“By sharing the PDZ with floating wind we will be able to broaden access to finance for the project, bring forward development of the site and enable a phased installation of technology that will support commercialisation of both the wave and floating wind sectors.”

The Scoping Opinion will determine which key issues the EIA should focus on and what environmental surveys need to be undertaken. A consent application could be submitted in 2020, consent granted in 2022 and the first electricity could be generated by 2024.