Bristol is poised to create strong green business links with China next week when a delegation of government officials and business leaders from Zhejiang province visit the city to discuss collaboration on tidal energy projects.
Bristol, viewed as a world-leading centre for the tidal energy industry, has already struck up close ties with businesses on Zhejiang’s Zhoushan archipelago – one of the country’s prime opportunities for the development of marine renewable energy with hundreds of islands and the best tidal stream resource in Chinese waters. 
Zhoushan, near Shanghai, is well placed to lead China’s move into marine renewable energy with as much as 2 gigawatts (GW) of extractable tidal stream energy, strong academic engagement through the prestigious Zhejiang University and a national designation as China’s pilot marine energy test bed.
Bristol will welcome a delegation of government officials and representatives from industry in Zhoushan on Monday as part of the Bristol 2015 Marine Energy Accelerator Programme (MEAP). The visit is hosted by Bristol 2015, Bristol City Council and Invest Bristol and Bath, the inward investment agency.
The delegation will meet Bristol and South West representatives from local government, industry and PRIMaRE (the regional, academic partnership for Marine in Marine Renewable Energy), to discuss areas for collaboration, export opportunities and best practice in the development of marine renewable energy.
The group will also join the Regen SW’s ninth Bristol Tidal Energy Forum in law firm Burges Salmon’s offices in Bristol on Tuesday to hear from key supply chain companies and to present on the current activity, policy and funding surrounding the development of marine renewable energy in China.
Bristol is seen as the birthplace of modern tidal energy with one of the world’s largest clusters of companies and expertise in the sector – making it a natural collaborator with Zhoushan. An industry-led partnership is already being developed.
This partnership is seeded by activity including Atlantis Resource’s tidal project activity in the region as well as a new collaboration between Bristol-based renewable energy consultancy IT Power and Zhejiang Golden Eagle Marine Energy Company.
In March, MEAP and Ian Godfrey from Regen SW visited Zhoushan as part of Bristol 2015, joining an IT Power-run workshop discussing regional and national activity in tidal energy in China and the UK. The trip also provided the opportunity to meet the vice mayor of Zhoushan, Zhou Wei Jiang, and extend an invitation for a reciprocal visit.
IT Power, based in Great George Street, is a leading international energy consultancy specialising in renewable energy engineering and related economic, financial, commercial, policy and environmental matters. The company has completed more than 1,500 consultancy contracts in 120-plus countries since its formation in 1981.
Pictured: A 70kW floating tidal energy platform near Zhoushan
