EMEC Tidal

The world's first marine energy test centre has been given a further boost with the announcement by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Jim Wallace MSP and Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, that all the necessary funding and planning permission is in place to begin work on extending the centre to include testing facilities for tidal energy conversion devices.

Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise, Jim Wallace, said: "Harnessing the power of the sea will be crucial if we are to meet our renewable energy targets - namely, that 40 per cent of electricity generated in this country should come from a wide range of renewable sources by 2020.  Meeting this goal will substantially cut the harmful emissions causing global warming and create jobs in new and developing industries across Scotland.

"The news that all the funding is now in place to extend EMEC to include tidal testing facilities is an important step in the right direction.  I look forward to hearing news of the innovative tidal power generators that will be tested in Orkney.  I know we all share the hope that these devices, or their successors, will play a major part in meeting Scotland's future energy needs."

Minister for Energy, Malcolm Wicks, added: "The UK has one of the world's best marine energy resources, and EMEC will play a key role in the development of technologies to turn this resource into clean, sustainable electricity.

"Significant investment has been made in the new tidal facility and I expect it to prove attractive to both UK and overseas device developers."

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) was officially opened last August and is already the established facility for the testing of wave energy conversion devices.  Work on extending the facility to include testing facilities for tidal energy devices will begin in June (2005) and is expected to be completed by December (2005).

Currently EMEC is centred around two main sites on Orkney.  There is a small, partially underground building at Billia Croo on Orkney's Atlantic coastline which houses switchgear and other control equipment for the wave testing facilities and the EMEC offices and data centre are situated in the Old Academy in Stromness.  The expansion into tidal testing will lead to the data centre being extended and more staff being employed.

The new tidal project is to be sited at the Fall of Warness, off the outlying island of Eday.  Here there will be four test berths for tidal devices each with a dedicated cable connecting back to the local grid.  As with the wave test centre there will be a building to house the necessary switchgear and control equipment.  The testing facility will be connected to the local electricity grid at Cauldale on Eday and a separate communications link will carry information on device performance back to the data centre in Stromness.

A number of tidal energy devices are being developed world-wide.  Of these, RTVL - a joint venture between Scottish and Southern Energy and the Weir Group, Lunar Energy and SMD Hydrovision have already committed to testing their devices at the Fall of Warness facility.  Negotiations continue with a number of others.

EMEC managing director, Andrew Mill commented: "EMEC plays a major part in the development of marine energy and in setting internationally recognised standards for industry best practice. 

"The site at Fall of Warness is ideal for testing tidal devices as it has an excellent tidal regime and a wide range of depths."

EMEC Tidal will be established at a cost of approximately £6 million, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Scottish Executive, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Orkney Enterprise, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Scottish Enterprise and Orkney Islands Council (OIC).

The Carbon Trust is also providing funding towards operational costs of the Centre.

HIE chief executive Sandy Cumming, speaking on behalf of the funders, said: "Highlands and Islands Enterprise, together with our partners are delighted that EMEC is becoming established as a world leader in marine energy and that this next phase will consolidate its internationally renowned reputation.

"No other facilities of this kind exist anywhere in the world.  Scotland is currently at the forefront of research and commercialisation of wave and tidal power and with some of the best wave and tidal sites for testing commercial-scale devices, we must take full advantage of the opportunity this offers and the benefits it can bring to the area."