![]() ![]() With strong wind and solar power industries in the UK it is the natural next step to explore our tidal energy capabilities. Harnessing the powers of our seas is a vital step in our transition to the use of greener, cleaner energy and underlines the UK Government’s commitment to create and protect highly-skilled jobs while on our journey to Net Zero by 2050. This UK Government allocation of funding for the tidal industry in Scotland, and across the UK, is tremendous news. The investment today provides a major push for Scottish tidal power to become a key part of the next generation of renewable electricity projects needed to strengthen energy security as we work to reduce our dependency on volatile fossil fuels. We hope to see marine energy follow in the successful footprints of other renewable technologies, where we’ve seen costs fall dramatically in recent years thanks to UK Government support. Including this in Scotland’s low-carbon energy mix will make it easier to match supply with demand, building on the UK Government’s commitment to build a strong, home-grown renewable energy sector to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and exposure to volatile global gas prices.īusiness and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:Īs a pioneer for tidal technologies, Scotland is perfectly placed to capitalise on clean marine energy, building on our booming offshore wind sector which is now a British industrial success story. ![]() Tidal energy has the potential to be a very reliable source of generation, given the clockwork predictability of the tides. Over time Scotland’s marine technologies have the potential to significantly contribute to the UK’s decarbonisation commitments and will support hundreds of green jobs across the country, with projects currently in development in North-West Scotland, North Wales and the Southern coast of England. Furthermore, just this year Simec Atlantis Energy Ltd, a homegrown company used their expertise to export and install a tidal turbine – designed and built in Scotland – for piloting in Japan. In fact, the UK has the largest tidal stream deployment in the world, so much so that almost 50% of the world’s installed tidal stream capacity is in Scottish waters. Scotland has long been a pioneer for tidal technology, hosting the world’s largest tidal stream generating station which was built in 2018 thanks to a £10 million innovation grant from the UK Government and extensive support under the Renewables Obligation mechanism – the highest level of support awarded to any technology. This will bring the total funding for this allocation round to £285million per year UK-wide. Today’s announcement will unlock the potential for a thriving Scottish tidal power sector, with the cash boost supporting marine technologies which could benefit the whole of Scotland and the rest of the UK.Īs part of the fourth allocation round of the Contracts for Difference Scheme due to open next month, the UK Government will ensure that £20million per year will be ringfenced for Tidal Stream projects, giving Scotland’s marine energy sector a chance to develop their technology and lower their costs in a similar way to its world-leading offshore wind industry.
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