Plymouth to host UK’s first charging network for electric maritime vessels

Professor Will Blake, Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute at the University of Plymouth, said:

“This is an exciting project that has the real potential to showcase Plymouth as a trail blazer in clean maritime innovation. It builds on our existing partnerships and shows that there is a concerted effort to make positive and lasting changes that will benefit both our city and the environment as a whole. The University has a long track record of using its world-leading sustainability research and partnerships to both highlight challenges and develop new ways of working. This project, and the opportunities it brings, is the perfect way to continue expanding that work.”

Councillor Jonathan Drean, Cabinet Member for Transport at Plymouth City Council, said:

“This is a big deal – not just for the Council and its partners – but for our sizable maritime community from weekend anglers to the fishing crews, who I hope will be looking at this with real interest. We need to plan for a future that is less reliant on fossil fuels and our marine sector can play a key role in ensuring a greener future. This exciting project fits in so well with so many of our city aspirations to tackle climate change through our Climate Emergency Action Plan but to also encourage more people to enjoy the waters around Plymouth, through our National Marine Park status. It’s also putting Plymouth’s name out there as a city that’s innovative, that’s prepared to support and invest in the right infrastructure that could lead to a significant step towards becoming more sustainable. If we are asking businesses, organisations and individuals involved in our marine economy to go greener, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to do this. That’s what this project is about.”

Kiran Haslam, Chief Marketing Officer and Board Member for Sustainability, Princess Yachts, said:

“Sustainability is a major focus at Princess and we have given ourselves some tough targets to meet in terms of reducing our carbon emissions – including a reduction in manufacturing CO2 emissions by over 20 per cent by 2023. We have become the conservation custodians of marine environments such as Eddystone Reef, and are very much focused on waste reduction with an ongoing shift towards clean energy across all our manufacturing sites. So it is with great pleasure that we are now also able to contribute in a meaningful way to Plymouth’s Marine e-Charging Living Lab (MeLL). Working with the innovative team at the University of Plymouth and supported by Plymouth City Council, we are proud to be a part of the team which will help develop the pivotal infrastructure required to provide a suitable network of marine charging facilities in the Plymouth area, continuing to build upon the city’s great work in clean maritime innovation.”

Alex Bamberg, CEO of AQUA superPower said:

“We are privileged to work with the University of Plymouth, Plymouth City Council and a premiere yacht manufacturer like Princess Yachts. In deploying our world first dedicated marine fast charge network as part of the project, we are creating the landscape towards decarbonization of the marine environment. Our team has an extensive background in developing and establishing DC charge network infrastructure and as a UK company, we very much look forward to bringing our knowledge and technology to the MeLL project. This is the start of a network originating from Plymouth to build a marine e-mobility corridor and establishing a centre of excellence in marine charging. Aqua are the first fast charge network company to be awarded a grant under the Innovate UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and we very much look forward to contributing to the success of this important project with our partners.”