Orkney energy project a failure

THE Orkney Pelamis Marine Energy Project was launched, with great fanfare, by First Minister Alex Salmond three years ago.

So far not one iota of commercially viable electricity has been generated despite the huge “investment” of Scottish taxpayers’ money and more from the EU.

Now the German power giant E.ON is pulling out of this research project ­blaming delays in the development of wave energy technology­. I ­suggest that commercial ­reality has dawned on E.ON.

Engineers have previously said that this would never be commercially viable without huge subsidies from electricity users.

This project and that other expensive white elephant, carbon capture and storage, will soak up our taxes for years until a few brave MSPs say “enough is enough”. Are there any “brave” MSPs?

Clark Cross, Linlithgow