The conference session sparked a debate about how the region will achieve 1.2 GW of wave and tidal energy by 2020.

Speaking at the debate, Gareth Davies, Board Member of OREF and Managing Director of consultancy Aquatera, said: “From energy converters and connecting cable to onshore substations, vessels and the workforce, we need to be getting ready for what is to come and think about ongoing maintenance and managing those costs.

“We need to make sure the infrastructure is in place to make it happen.”

Max Carcas, Business Development Director at Pelamis Wave Power added: “We need to cooperate to drive projects forward. To deliver and get to where we all want to get to we need to collaborate on common issues in project development, infrastructure, grid reinforcement and sharing vessels. If we need to have a vessel on standby, it makes sense to spread that cost.”