Scottish Government commits £18m for wave and tidal power

Typography
An £18 million fund has been announced that will help develop Scotland's first commercial wave and tidal power arrays. The money forms part of £35 million the Scottish Government and its enterprise agencies will provide in direct support to the marine and tidal industry over the next three years.

An £18 million fund has been announced that will help develop Scotland's first commercial wave and tidal power arrays.

!ADVERTISEMENT!

The money forms part of £35 million the Scottish Government and its enterprise agencies will provide in direct support to the marine and tidal industry over the next three years. This is the Scottish Government's biggest commitment to date for the wave and tidal sector, and will be used to improve capability and infrastructure, as well as helping to fund technology solutions and the roll-out of marine arrays.

The fund, which was announced today by First Minister Alex Salmond, will help the marine renewables industry make the next step towards commercial maturity, and help planned developments in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters and other waters around Scotland.

The Scottish Government will consult with the industry about the nature of the projects to be supported by the fund, and additional support will be made available for infrastructure and supply chain development to keep pace with the speed of development.

The fund will build on successes in the industry to date, achieved through Scottish Government support and the facilities at the world-class European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). Kawasaki Heavy Industry announced they are bringing their tidal energy system to the centre for testing.

Article continues: http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/news/national-news/122702-scottish-government-commits-18m-for-wave-and-tidal-power.html

Photo shows beach at Skye, Scotland. Image credit: http://www.city-data.com/forum/travel/558407-your-favorite-beach-4.html