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Sea power winners to be announced 'Milestone' for wave energy plans
(about 23 hours later)
Plans to harness wave and tidal energy from the Pentland Firth and the sea around Orkney are to be unveiled. Ten sites on the seabed off the north coast of Scotland have been leased out to power companies in an effort to generate wave and tidal energy.
The Crown Estate, which owns the seabed around the UK, is due to announce which companies have successfully bid to install devices. In the first project of its kind in the world, areas in the Pentland Firth and around Orkney have been leased to seven companies by the Crown Estate.
First Minister Alex Salmond has called the far north the "Saudi Arabia" of marine power because of its potential to produce huge amounts of energy. The companies are to push forward plans to generate enough electricity to supply 750,000 homes by 2020.
The first devices could be in place by 2020. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said it was a "major milestone".
The Crown Estate is the organisation that grants seabed lease development rights for marine renewable energy projects. He said the waters had been described as the "Saudi Arabia of marine power" due to their "rich natural resources".
It is to announce the successful companies and joint ventures for each site in the Pentland Firth and around Orkney. The Crown Estate, which owns the seabed around the UK, has awarded the leases after inviting bids from developers.
It will also explain how this helps secure the UK's energy supply and benefits the UK economy. Wave and tidal power represent an energy and jobs bonanza for Scotland Dr Richard Dixon
'Too long' The aim is to generate 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from the sites off Orkney and the Caithness and Sutherland coasts.
Last October the Crown Estate said the timetable granting leases and the installation of devices remained on schedule. Six sites have been allocated for wave energy developments potentially generating 600 megawatts (MW) of power and four for tidal projects, also generating 600 MW.
It said legal paperwork opening the way for companies to harness wave and tidal power would be signed by the end of March this year. Wave schemes will be developed by SSE Renewables Developments off Costa Head and also jointly with Aquamarine Power off Brough Head, both on Orkney.
The organisation has forecast that enough power for 500,000 homes could be generated by 2020. ScottishPower Renewables have the lease for Marwick Head, Orkney.
But Thurso and Wick Trade Union Council said the process was taking too long. Leases for wave projects have also been awarded to E.ON for sites designated West Orkney South and West Orkney Middle South and to Pelamis Wave Power for the Armadale site in the Pentland Firth off Sutherland.
The council is eager to see new sources of work created to compensate for those that will be shed during the decommissioning of the defunct Dounreay nuclear power complex near Thurso. THE WINNERS Aquamarine PowerE.ONMarine Current TurbinesOpenHydro Site DevelopmentPelamis Wave PowerScottishPower RenewablesSSE Renewables Developments class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8570223.stm">Wave and tidal developers profiled
Earlier last year, the Crown Estate announced it had received 42 bids for the leases. Tidal schemes will be developed by SSE Renewables Developments off Westray South and jointly with OpenHydro Site Developments off Cantick Head, both Orkney.
It said the level of interest exceeded initial expectations and more projects than originally planned were taken forward to the negotiation phase. Marine Current Turbines have been leased the Brough Ness site on Orkney and ScottishPower Renewables will install devices in the Pentland Firth off Ness of Duncansby in Caithness.
Commercial development The Crown Estate has been working with the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Orkney Islands Council and Highland Council on the project.
Last month, three Scottish companies won a multi-million pound funding boost to help prove the commercial viability of their marine power devices. The names of the successful bidders were announced at a ceremony in Edinburgh.
The money from the Department of Energy and Climate change, DECC, was awarded by The Carbon Trust. THE SITES Six sites have been identified for wave devices and four for tidalWave: Costa Head, Brough Head, Marwick Head, West Orkney South and West Orkney Middle South and Armadale in SutherlandTidal: Westray South, Cantick Head and Brough Ness, Orkney, and Ness of Duncansby in Caithness
Edinburgh-based Aquamarine Power was awarded £5.1m and raised the same again from its shareholders. First Minister Alex Salmond said it marked a "major milestone" in efforts to create a low carbon future.
The funding will be used to develop the second generation of its Oyster wave device, which is the world's largest working hydro-electric wave energy converter. He said: "These waters have been described as the Saudi Arabia of marine power and the wave and tidal projects unveiled today - exceeding the initial 700MW target capacity - underline the rich natural resources of the waters off Scotland."
It is currently producing electricity at the European Marine Energy Centre (Emec) in Orkney. Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy said it was an exciting time for the renewables industry.
He said: "Scotland is naturally placed to make the most of this green revolution and we will continue to work with others to ensure the potential of Scottish waters, alongside wind power, is fully met."
Wildlife conservation organisation, WWF Scotland, said that with careful planning wave and tidal energy could be harnessed without harming the marine environment.
Director Dr Richard Dixon said: "Wave and tidal power represent an energy and jobs bonanza for Scotland.
"There is a massive amount of power in the seas around Scotland and we are currently the world leaders in developing the technologies to turn that potential into clean, green electricity."