TWO UK COMPANIES HAVE acted on information from the 2002 Performance and Innovation Unit Energy Review, which predicts that offshore renewable energy sources are set to become one the fastest growing areas of the renewable energy market.
British Maritime Technology Limited (BMT), an international engineering and technology consultancy, and UMITEK, a group of energy consultancy and testing companies, have formed a unique partnership to provide comprehensive design support and testing services for the renewable energy sector. The companies will work together under the brand BMT UMITEK.
BMT UMITEK is particularly interested in raising interest in the offshore renewable energy market, which comprises wave and tidal stream power generation, plus offshore wind.
Phil Thompson, director of BMT UMITEK, said: 'We see this as a rapidly growing sector with a huge number of opportunities. To achieve the targets set by the government and Kyoto, and the pressure to reduce CO2 emissions, major investment is required however, a series of obstacles need to be overcome.'
The companies claim there is considerable common ground between the technology and skills required in the offshore oil and gas industry, where BMT and UMITEK are already active, and those required to deliver improved field economics for offshore renewables.
