European Marine Energy Centre Limited
Based in Orkney, Scotland, a not-for-profit innovation catalyst pioneering the transition to a clean energy future.
EMEC is the world’s leading accredited test site for demonstrating ocean energy technologies in the sea, spanning components and subsystems to full-scale demonstrations.
EMEC supports its clients and projects with operational, metocean, environmental and consenting services as well as providing independent inspection and power performance assessments. To date, 35 marine energy converters have been deployed at EMEC’s sites in Orkney, Scotland; more than at any other single site in the world.
Building on its experience in ocean energy, EMEC is exploring options for developing a national floating wind test site to the west of Orkney and has launched a research and innovation programme to help develop novel solutions for offshore wind.
EMEC is further pioneering the transition to a clean energy future, having established an R&D ecosystem for pilot projects exploring the integration of renewables, green hydrogen, battery storage and energy systems with the production of e-fuels and wider islands decarbonisation initiatives.
The centre was set up to spark the development of an ocean energy sector and boost economic development in the Highlands and Islands. EMEC has grown and diversified and the unprecedented activity that has taken place in Orkney has been a catalyst for economic development, creating jobs and a world-leading supply chain now exporting skills and knowledge around the globe. An economic impact assessment spanning two decades of EMEC’s operations values impact of the test centre to the UK economy at £370 million; £263 million of that was accrued in Scotland, and half of that, £130 million, in the Orkney Islands.
EMEC was named Blue Economy Enterprise of the Year at the Scottish Highlands and Islands Rural Economy Awards 2021, Champion of Renewables at the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2021 and won the Outstanding Service Award at the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2023.