Wave power firm hopes report calms surfing storm

By Pete Harrison

LONDON (Reuters) - Controversy over a wave power project off the southwest coast could be calmed by a new report saying the "Wave Hub" will have less impact on surfing than feared.

The standoff pitted many of Britain's half a million surfers against local government authorities and power companies, who say installation of the Hub is vital to developing wave power systems and to fighting global warming.

Wave Hub, which says its installation will be the world's largest, also said it had received 21.5 million pounds of development funding this week, taking it to its 28 million pound goal. It said the project could generate 76 million pounds over 25 years for the local economy.

Surfers said the Wave Hub, 10 miles (16 km) off the popular Cornish holiday destination of St Ives, would cast a shadow across their favourite beaches, draining the waves of energy and cropping their height.

Wave Hub's initial impact report said the installation could cut wave heights by between five and seven percent, with a worst case scenario of 11 percent.

Surfers petitioned parliament and lobbied for further studies. Wave Hub responded by commissioning a second independent report, this time by leading oceanographer Dr Kerry Black, based in New Zealand.

"I've concluded that the likely maximum impact of wave heights on the shoreline would be in the range of three percent to six percent depending on conditions, and less than five percent on average," Black said on Thursday.

Wave Hub project manager Nick Harrington said he hoped that surfers would be reassured by the latest report and vowed the project would go ahead.