The Crown Estate today (29th September) outlined the application and consent procedure for wave and tidal energy projects in the Pentland Firth – the first UK marine power site to be opened up for commercial-scale development – with the aim of generating more than 700 MW of energy by 2020. The announcement comes as First Minister Alex Salmond makes the keynote address at the Caithness Regeneration Conference in Thurso.

The process of granting options for lease over areas of seabed in the Pentland Firth and surrounding area will be concluded in the summer of 2009, with initial devices being deployed as early as 2010 / 2011. The Crown Estate will look closely to see what local community benefits each developer can incorporate into their scheme and all commercial development will be subject to a comprehensive environmental impact assessment.

Rob Hastings, Director of the Marine Estate at The Crown Estate, said: “Unlocking the potential in the Pentland Firth is crucial to meeting Scottish government renewable energy targets, stimulating the north Scotland economy and boosting the fledgling renewables industry.

“The Crown Estate is keen to play a central role in generating confidence in the investor community – the process we are announcing today is an important step towards achieving just that.

“As well as the economic opportunities for energy production here, the area could become a world class centre of excellence in wave and tidal power development, research, testing and environmental monitoring.”

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Scotland is blessed with a huge natural potential – our wind resources, our forestry for sustainable biomass energy and our vast seas giving us energy from wave and tide. Our seas alone could provide 25 per cent of Europe’s tidal power and 10 per cent of wave power.

“The potential of the Pentland Firth is quite staggering and The Crown Estate will play a crucial part in enabling developers to take the next step and turn tested, reliable technology into the next wave of generating stations, pumping out electricity for homes and business. A strong marine renewables sector will drive further investment, cut emissions and give us a new contribution to sustainable economic growth. The Crown Estate is to be congratulated for playing its part in making Scotland the green energy capital of Europe.”

The Pentland Firth and surrounding area contains six of the top ten best sites in the UK for tidal power development. While the main focus is on tidal power the area is also attractive to wave power developers. It already contains the European Marine Energy Centre, the first test centre for wave and tidal technology anywhere in the world.

Today’s announcement is a result of work by the Pentland Firth Tidal Energy Project which works to develop the marine energy industry. The project partners are The Crown Estate, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Scottish government.

The process will take into account the wide range of stakeholder interests including international shipping routes, ferry traffic, fishing, defence, environment and ecology. All commercial development will be subject to a comprehensive environmental impact assessment process, and developers will have to show that their proposed development will not have any significant adverse impact in the development and surrounding areas. The initial devices to be installed are expected to be full size demonstration devices.