Press Release
PENTLAND FIRTH WAVE AND TIDAL PROGRAMME ON SCHEDULE
28 October 2009
The Crown Estate has confirmed today that the timetable for the installation of wave and tidal devices in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Islands area by 2020 remains on schedule.
We will formally sign legal agreements by the end of March next year. This date will ensure that leases for wave and tidal projects are appropriate, that as many bidders as possible can obtain lease options, and that we comply with obligations under European law.
Bidders who have reached ‘provisional preferred bidder’ status are now able to speak to third parties in order to enable them to progress their projects and scoping activities related to those projects. This will ensure that the overall programme to enable the installation of at least 700 MW of wave and tidal capacity by 2020, potentially providing enough power for more than 500,000 homes, continues to remain on target.
Earlier this year, we announced that we had received 42 bids for the wave and tidal programme in the Pentland Firth area. With this level of interest exceeding initial expectations, more projects than originally planned are being taken forward to the negotiation phase.
We established the industrial-scale wave and tidal energy programme, the first of its type in the world, to accelerate the commercialisation of this embryonic industry that was struggling to obtain opportunities at the appropriate scale.
Shortly, the successful bidders will start their detailed work programme to implement their plans and further announcements are planned as the commercial negotiations are concluded.
The Pentland Firth area wave and tidal energy project is a significant chance for the UK, Scotland and the Orkney and Caithness area to establish itself as a world hub for this emerging industry.
Prior Announcements
|
