Energy firms SSE and ScottishPower in tidal tie–up

UTILITIES firms SSE and ScottishPower are to share public funding to develop methods for connecting wave and tidal devices to the national grid.

Scottish Enterprise and the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board are to invest £6.5 million in a raft of offshore research and development projects worth a total of £13m.

The two power companies will work with four tidal turbine developers to come up with a way to connect a broad range of devices to the electricity network.

Adrian Gillespie, director of energy at Scottish Enterprise, said: “These collaborative projects address technological challenges that are crucial to advancing our position as the world leader in developing marine energy.”