RenewableUK Hails Scottish Government’s Wave, Tidal Announcements

RenewableUK today welcomed news that MeyGen Ltd. has been awarded consent by the Scottish Government for an 86 Megawatt tidal energy project, following the completion of the statutory approval process with the regulator Marine Scotland.

Located in the Pentland Firth, off the north coast of Scotland, this project has the potential to generate up to 398 Megawatts of clean electricity and power thousands of homes. It is also set to be the biggest tidal stream site in Europe and maintain the UK’s place as the world leader in tidal technology. The first phase of the project will see 6 tidal turbines commissioned in the inner sound of the Pentland Firth, enabling this exciting technology to mature, before the subsequent phases take the project up to the consented limit of 86MW and beyond to the leased capacity of 398 Megawatt. A recent study by Oxford University noted that the Pentland Firth could generate 1.9 Gigawatts of clean electricity.

Also today the Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing MSP announced that Wave developers Aquamarine Power Limited and Pelamis Wave Power are to share a slice of a GBP13 million wave “first array” support programme, part of the Scottish Government’s Marine Renewables Commercialisation Fund.

David Krohn, Wave and Tidal Manager at RenewableUK said: “Today’s two announcements show that both wave and tidal technologies are developing at a rapid rate are set to make a real contribution to the electricity needs both of Scotland and the UK.

“MeyGen’s consent approval is a truly monumental milestone for the industry as it is far and away the largest marine energy consent ever achieved. The inner sound of the Pentland Firth is one of the most promising sites in the world to develop tidal energy projects and it is heartening to see the project progressing towards installation.

“The award of £13million to the world’s two leading wave energy companies, Aquamarine and Pelamis, is welcome boost to the industry in Scotland. The Scottish Government has once again demonstrated its desire to turn Scotland into the world’s leading renewable energy economy. It is no surprise that the Scottish Government is such a staunch supporter of the wave energy industry, given the high level of local content in these two pioneering companies’ activities and the immense potential they have for creating jobs and boosting manufacturing opportunities”.

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Press release, September 16, 2013; Image: MeyGen