An international consortium, brought together by welsh innovation group DST, will bring the Dragon Energy Island to life, placing Wales at the forefront of technical innovation and green energy.
The Dragon Energy Island will be the largest ever development project of its kind to be launched in Wales/UK.
The project will significantly contribute to the UK Government’s ambitious plan for a green industrial revolution in the post-covid economic landscape.
The Dragon Energy Island consortium boasts world leading organisations with a proven track record of successful billion-pound developments, design and project delivery. An announcement of the selected members will be made in early 2021. Alongside the announcement, a full schedule of planning applications and proposals will be published.
The consortium was inspired by the early concepts set out in the Holistic Capital options review published last year. This review recommended integrating a number of additional complimentary renewables elements to the project, to create an independently viable project.
DST, the driving force behind the consortium, are the inventors of ground-breaking large scale battery technology enabling efficient and sustainable energy storage. The energy storage capabilities are vital to the success of the Dragon Energy Island, solving the problem of storing the energy created by natural power.
“We’re delighted our technology can be utilised in a project of this magnitude. Our products are designed in Wales and this is an amazing opportunity for us to harness the wonderful natural resources we have in our home nation and unlock the abundance of innovation and talent we hold here” said a DST spokesperson.
With its battery production facilities already underway in West Virginia, US, DST are planning a second manufacturing base in Swansea. The two facilities will work together in partnership and it signifies an exciting new era of collaboration between the two countries.
Governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice said “This is a wonderful day for West Virginia and for the future development of clean energy storage. Both West Virginia and Wales are renowned for their coal mining heritage, and this special international partnership will see us both at the forefront of new energy.”
Combined, the DST and Dragon Energy Island project plan to create over 1000 highly skilled permanent jobs for the Swansea area alone.
Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council said “Swansea bay offers an unprecedented opportunity to deliver the world’s first truly integrated tidal energy project. This project has the potential to spur a new industry not just for Swansea but for Wales and the UK. The impacts on employment and our local economy are set to be significant and perfectly timed as we address the post-covid economy.
“We remain 100% committed to seeing the project delivered in Swansea and are grateful for all of the efforts made by DST to bring together such a strong consortium of organisations with a proven track record of success.”
