Marine Energy Action Plan maps out next steps to commercialisation
21 Jun 12 - Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer
The publication today of the Scottish Government's revised
Marine Energy Action Plan highlights the next steps our industry
must take on its journey towards commercialisation.
The first plan was published in 2009. Since then the sector has
moved on considerably.
In these three years, for example, Aquamarine Power has
attracted major investment and installed two full-scale devices at
the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney.
The Oyster 800, our second-generation machine, is now undergoing
operational testing and has produced first electrical power to the
grid.
Exciting times, but challenges remain.
As today's new report highlights, finance remains a major
challenge.
The Scottish Government has supported marine energy tremendously
well to date, and its latest funding initiatives, the Marine
Renewables Commercialisation Fund and the Renewable Energy
Investment Fund, are well-designed for what the industry requires
today.
We anticipate these funds will continue to leverage the vital
private sector investment we need to get the first wave farms
developed in the next few years.
But as the report highlights, grid infrastructure and
transmission charging remain major issues, and in our view the
proposed high transmission charges for Scottish islands will
jeopardise at least 66 per cent of all marine energy projects - a
position we believe may be discriminatory against wave technology
in particular.
That is why this action plan is particularly welcome. As with
the previous report, the Scottish Government is demonstrating its
willingness to work alongside industry to identify barriers to
growth, and to work hard to remove these barriers and create a
clear road map to commercialisation.
On finance we are moving ahead. With transmission charging we
need a concerted effort to find solutions.
We fully support the revised action plan and look forward to
working with the government and others to achieve its aims.
Read the Scottish Government's Marine Energy
Action Plan.