Crown Estates go with the tide as wave power tests get green light

THE owner of the seabed around the UK yesterday opened up the Pentland Firth to wave and tidal power devices, allowing firms to bid for spaces to test their equipment in the waters that First Minister Alex Salmond once described as “the Saudi Arabia of marine power”.

The Crown Estate, which manages British waters on behalf of the Queen, said companies that are competing for the Scottish Government’s saltire prize and taking part in the UK-wide demonstration projects can now apply for licences to use the sea between Caithness and Orkney.

Business can also apply for space to create test centres for wave and tidal devices, such as those already running at the European Marine Energy Centre, FabTest and Wave Hub.

News of the wave power expansion came as the Crown Estate also announced it has reached a deal with Wavegen, the Inverness-based arm of German family-owned conglomerate Voith Group, to lease space for its Siadar project in the Western Isles.

Tidal Energy and Pulse Tidal have both each awarded rights to develop sites off St David’s Head in Pembrokeshire and Lynmouth in Devon.

Paul Catterall, wave and tidal development manager at the Crown Estate, said: “We are delighted to conclude negotiations on these new projects, which take the total number under development around the UK to 36.

“Interest in wave and tidal energy is now evident across the whole of the UK, with the Northern Ireland tidal leasing round continuing to run in parallel with developments in Scotland, Wales and England.”