Power and knowledge sharing was the order of the day with the near completion of the Fife Renewables Innovation Centre at Energy Park Fife.

Due to be completed late Spring, the building was today (Wednesday) connected to the Green Energy supply from the Hydrogen Office, which draws renewable power from its onsite turbine. Councillor Tony Martin and Councillor Ross Vettraino OBE were on hand to oversee connection of the new power supply between the Hydrogen Office and the new Innovation Centre being put into place by Keir Construction.

Once opened, the £3 million Fife Renewables Innovation Centre, at Energy Park Fife, will become a leading facility on the east coast of Scotland offering accommodation for start up and growing companies wishing to successfully enter into the Renewable Energy sector.

The Centre will extend to approximately 1,400sqm over two floors and will offer flexible work spaces and research facilities designed to enable technology and knowledge transfer. Businesses will be supported by Fife Council and partner organisations including Business Gateway Fife and the University of St Andrews.

Councillor Tony Martin, Chair of Fife Council's Enterprise, Environment and Transportation Committee said: "Fife Renewables Innovation Centre enhances the continued success of Energy Park Fife, increasing its already huge potential for expansion and diversity in the future. The Energy Park Fife project has been a flagship project for Fife Council and Scottish Enterprise and to date, it has proved it is a great manufacturing location for companies such as BiFab and Duncan Engineering.

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"The recent announcement by Samsung Heavy Industries to locate a test turbine within the Energy Park confirms the international confidence the Park holds. Alongside the £4.7 million Hydrogen Office, Fife Renewables Innovation Centre creates a strategic facility capable of securing more important opportunities in the renewable energy sector in the future."

Along with funding from Fife Council, the Innovation Centre project has also received £715,000 from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. This investment validates Fife’s ambition to become a leading centre of excellence for renewable and low carbon technologies.

Gregor Murray from Hydrogen Office Ltd, said: "We are delighted to be able to supply Fife Renewables Innovation Centre with renewable energy powered by the wind turbine. This project has built upon successful partnerships and represents a milestone in the progress of Energy Park Fife in that this will be the first external building to benefit from a totally green energy supply from right here on its own doorstep."

Councillor Ross Vettraino OBE, Vice-Chair of Fife Council’s Environment, Enterprise & Transportation Committee, commented: "The green energy power connection that has been put in place is illustrative of how we will use energy in the future. It will bring together the power from the wind turbine via the Hydrogen Office to the Fife Renewables Innovation Centre. Both of these projects combined represent a significant innovation and with this green power connection the Innovation Centre will achieve an Excellent accreditation from BREEAM, the leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings.

"The project is another major milestone in the development of Energy Park Fife and investment in Fife in general. Recent announcements by Samsung Heavy Industries and David Brown Gear Systems build on the back of investments totalling almost £400 million by Amazon, Diageo, and RWE proving yet again that Fife is becoming one of the easiest places to do business."

(GK)