The Government has announced that the UK’s second marine energy park will be launched in Scotland with an official opening by UK Energy Minister Greg Barker at the Caithness port of Scrabster.
The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park is intended to help boost progress in marine power development and will include the European Marine Energy Centre (Emec) on Orkney.
Testing of a range of wave and tidal devices is already under way at Emec, including the deployment and testing of two full-scale Oyster devices, which use wave power technology to capture energy found in near-shore waves by Aquamarine Power andFinnish company Wello Oy ‘s Penguin wave energy converter. At the Billia Croo wave test site in Orkney energy company Vattenfall is planning to test the latest generation Pelamis Wave Power device in 2014.
Greg Barker said:
“It’s great to see Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters confirm their place on the marine power map with the launch of the second of the Coalition Government’s UK Marine Energy Parks.
“This area is already a vital part of the marine industry, thanks to its high tidal stream and wave resource. This stretch of water is also home to the European Marine Energy Centre, currently unrivalled anywhere else in the world. This park will help bring together local knowledge and expertise to spur on further development in this exciting industry.
Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing commented:
"The Marine Energy Park designation of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters region will further enhance Scotland’s leading position in marine renewables.
"This award recognises the work that has been done in leading the development of wave and tidal energy in Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters region for many years, and proves that Scotland continues to be the jewel in the crown of all wave and tidal activity."
The UK's first marine energy park off the south-west of England was announced earlier this year - the park designation is designed to link university researchers and private companies working in marine energy.
According to the Department for Energy and Climate Change, energy from the waves or tides has the potential to generate up to 27GW of power in the UK alone by 2050.
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