The 12 tonne Wave Hub will act as a grid-connected socket to test wave power devices.

Cable laying ship Nordica lowered the Hub into the water, and 300 m of ‘tails’ have been position on the seabed. The vessel Tideway Rollingstone has already started placing the first of 80,000 tonnes of rock on top of the 25 km export cable connecting Wave Hub to the grid.

Wave Hub General Manager Guy Lavender says: “Seeing Wave Hub lowered into the water was the culmination of more than 7 years’ hard work by hundreds of people and the fact that it was designed and built in this country is testimony to the skills and experience that the UK already has in the fledgling marine renewables industry.

“Wave Hub will be on the seabed for the next 25 years, helping the world gain invaluable knowledge about how we tap the vast energy potential of our oceans in the pursuit of clean, abundant, renewable energy and cementing the UK’s position at the forefront of this green power revolution.”

RenewableUK’s CEO, Maria McCaffery, adds: “Wave Hub is a tremendously exciting development, and a truly world-leading project. It will focus global industry attention on the UK and put the South West firmly on the map in terms of marine energy research and development.

“With projects such as Wave Hub, and a solid financial support mechanism, as a country we now have a unique opportunity to strengthen the lead in the sector and start rolling out the next generation of wave and tidal energy devices. These will make reliable and plentiful energy from the sea a reality within the next 10 years.”

The £42 million Wave hub project is being developed by South West RDA.