Welcoming the Government’s proposal today for making the South West of England a marine park, Friends of the Earth’s South West Campaigner Mike Birkin said:

“This is exciting news for the South West and our economy – developing the UK’s marine energy potential will create thousands of new jobs and help cut the nation’s dependency on expensive fossil fuels long term.

“We need real action to make this a reality – we’re still waiting for wave energy machines to be plugged in to Cornwall’s Wave Hub a year after it was installed on the seabed.

“With cash-strapped households facing huge fuel bills there’s no time for delay – the Government must get on with developing affordable clean power.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Friends of the Earth’s Final Demand campaign, which was launched in October last year, calls for clean energy we can all afford and a public inquiry into the power and influence of the Big Six energy companies.