Scotland launches consultation on marine energy potential

EDINBURGH, UK, April 11, 2007. Scotland has launched a consultation to focus on how to minimise the impacts of offshore renewable energies.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment for wave and tidal energy will accept comments until late June. The goal is to assess the effects of deploying wave and tidal energy devices around the coast of Scotland, and to use the results to inform future policy for the marine renewables industry.

“We know Scotland has the potential to be the marine energy powerhouse of Europe,” says Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen. “I am determined that Scotland becomes a leader in this emerging industry but it is vital that we understand how these technologies interact with the environment.”

Earlier this year, Scotland awarded £13 million in grants to develop marine energy technologies and to facilitate their operation in Scottish waters. The study area of the SEA covers the west coast of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland and the Pentland Firth, within which officials say there is a “considerable, as yet untapped, renewable energy resource.”

The east coast is not included because there is less interest by developers in locating there. The east coast will be included in an SEA for offshore wind which will be undertaken later this year.

The current consultation will provide essential information to developers, environmental organisations and local communities involved in the offshore energy industry. In particular, it will focus on how to minimise effects of marine devices and monitor the longer term environmental effects.

“The SEA contains a wealth of environmental data on the possible effects of wave and tidal energy,” adds Stephen. “We are seeking views on the findings of the assessment and how the results should affect future marine energy strategy in Scotland.”

A variety of new technologies are being developed which can convert the motion of waves and tides into energy. The Executive's interest in marine renewables is driven by a target of increasing the amount of green power in Scotland to 40% by 2020.

The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland's (FREDS) Marine Energy Group report into the development of the marine energy industry indicated that 10% of Scotland's electricity can come from marine resources by 2020, providing 7,000 jobs. Initial results from the SEA indicate that 1,000 to 2,500 MW could be installed around the Scottish coast, depending on the technologies deployed and locations chosen.

The consultation will focus on how to avoid, reduce or offset environmental effects, as well as issues associated with identifying sites to locate offshore projects. It will deal with data and knowledge gaps, and the monitoring of environmental effects to inform both project development and the strategy for marine energy.

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