Wave and tidal energy offer major prospects for employment in Essex, according to a leading spokesman for green energy.

Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK, said: “The sector already employs 1,724 people. This is set to increase to 6,000 by 2023, and has the potential to employ many more people if opportunities are seized.

Ms McCaffery’s claims coincided with the opening of one of the world’s largest training operations for green energy technicians, at Prospects College, Basildon.

She said: “The value of offshore wind energy has already been proved by the London Array turbine farm, off the Essex coast, which supplies sufficient power for 500,000 homes. There are many opportunities to extend this capacity still further.

“This represents a new energy sector which would deliver employment and business benefits supplying the domestic market and abroad.”

The UK has already installed more devices to generate clean electricity from wave and tidal energy than the rest of the world put together. More of this is generated off the Essex coast than any other region.

RenewablesUK claims the UK is on target to capture a significant share of a global wave and tidal market, which is estimated to be worth £800 million per year to the UK economy by 2035. This market is set to reach a cumulative total of £48 billion between now and 2050. Much of the supply will stem from the north sea .