Barnstaple firm gets into wave hub market

BARNSTAPLE-based engineering company J+S Ltd has been showing off its latest product, with which it is diversifying into the new market of marine renewable energy. The sub-sea connections, which will enable wave and tidal energy companies to connect into

BARNSTAPLE-based engineering company J+S Ltd has been showing off its latest product, with which it is diversifying into the new market of marine renewable energy.

The sub-sea connections, which will enable wave and tidal energy companies to connect into the National Grid, were shown to North Devon MP Nick Harvey during a visit to the Pottington factory.

After more than 50 years providing independent engineering services to the Royal Navy and 10 years to the North Sea oil and gas industry, J+S has now set up a specialist renewable energy team in Barnstaple to tap in to this emerging market.

It has already secured its first �500,000 contract from the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney to provide and install the sub-sea cable connections.

The connections - or pressure compensated splice housings - are each made up of 1,100 components. They are, in effect, the plugs and sockets to a ring main, from which electricity generated by wave and tidal energy device manufacturers will be transferred to a shore electricity sub-station.

The housings will be fitted at the EMEC wave and tidal hub sites situated off the Orkney Islands. In addition to developing and producing the connections, J+S will also provide offshore engineering support from both Aberdeen and Barnstaple as the various device manufacturers connect and disconnect to the hub.