Aquamarine Power now has full consent from the Scottish
Government to develop a 40MW wave farm off the north-west coast of
Lewis, Scotland - making it the world's largest fully-permitted
ocean energy site.
The green light from the government and its regulator Marine
Scotland goes alongside onshore planning which was approved by the
local council Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in September 2012.
This means the Edinburgh firm, through its wholly owned
subsidiary Lewis Wave Power Limited, will be able to begin
installing their near-shore Oyster wave energy machines at the site
in the next few years - once the necessary grid infrastructure has
been put in place.
This will ultimately see the deployment of between 40 and 50
Oyster devices along the coast at Lag na Greine, near to Fivepenny
Borve, in one of the best wave energy locations in Europe. Once
complete, the farm will have the capacity to power nearly 30,000
homes.
Last year the local council Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western
Isles Council) approved planning for the onshore hydroelectric
power plant which will be connected to the Oyster wave energy
farm.
Significant milestone
"This is a significant milestone for our company," says
Aquamarine Power Chief Executive Officer Martin McAdam. "The goal
of our industry is to become commercial, and to do this we need two
things - reliable technologies and a route to market. Our engineers
are currently working hard on getting the technology right and we
now have a site where we can install our first small farm, with
large-scale commercial build out in the years ahead.
"We have worked in close consultation with the people and
businesses of Lewis in the development of our proposals and would
like to express our gratitude for their on-going support. We were
delighted with the turnout at the series of public exhibitions we
held on Lewis last March, and we also commend government regulator
Marine Scotland and the Western Isles Council for their positive
approach.
"We believe wave energy presents an important opportunity for
the Isle of Lewis. Our development could provide significant
economic benefit to the local community. In Orkney, for example, we
have spent over £5 million in the local economy during the
installation of the first two Oyster devices and have worked with
over 40 local companies as part of our commitment to sourcing much
of the services and expertise we require locally."
Local Support
Commenting on the full consent of the site, Agnes Rennie, Chair
of Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn,(Galson Estate Trust) said:
"It is very encouraging to see the development at Lag na Greine
reaching this important objective, highlighting the abundant wave
resource in north-west Lewis. The Urras and the community look
forward to working with the company through the next stages of the
development towards installation of the Oyster array."
Angus Campbell, Leader, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar said:
"This is excellent news for the Outer Hebrides and demonstrates
the growing appetite of major energy companies to locate in
Europe's area of best marine resource, here in the islands.
Our Atlantic coast represents one of the best wave energy
resources in Europe and there is no doubt that the area can become
a global player as nascent wave energy technology comes to market,
benefitting carbon reduction targets and regenerating the local
economy. Aquamarine Power's scheme is an important first step
in this process and we have been impressed by their professionalism
as they developed their proposals in close collaboration with the
local community.
"Aquamarine Power's technology is, literally, a world leader and
we will continue to work with Aquamarine Power and other developers
to make West of Hebrides the location of choice for what is sure to
become one of the world's most important industries. It is
vital that developing technology like that of Aquamarine Power is
retained in Scotland but, for that, we need to extend our
electricity grid into the areas of best resource. Aquamarine
Power's announcement adds further weight to the call for our
transmission owner, SSE, to move quickly on construction of this
link for which there is so much consented demand."
Working with local communities
Aquamarine Power's team has worked closely with the local
community and stakeholders to identify the most appropriate project
site and to explain the proposals. We have also involved local
people and businesses in the development work undertaken so far and
participated in local supply chain events and the Hebridean Science
Festival.
Lewis Wave Power also held a three day public exhibition at the
Galson Estate Trust offices and at Martin Memorial Hall in
Stornoway in March 2012 to explain the project proposals and
provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions and leave
feedback.
Potential to power 38,000 homes
Our development has the potential to see between 40 to 50 Oyster
wave energy devices installed in the near shore region (10 to 15
metres water depth) on an approximate 3.2 kilometre stretch of
coast. Our proposed sites would have a total installed capacity of
40MW and could provide enough energy to power 30,000 homes.
Official Saltire Prize applicant
This project is an official competitor in the Scottish
Government's Saltire Prize. The Saltire Prize is a £10 million
global prize for the wave or tidal technology which generates the
greatest volume of electrical output over 100GWh over a continuous
two year period using only the power of the sea. For more info
please see:
http://www.saltireprize.com/
Working in partnership
Aquamarine Power is the industry lead in the Hebridean Marine
Energy Futures programme. We are working on the project in
partnership with Lews Castle College, part of the University of
Highlands and Islands.
The Hebridean Marine Energy Futures project is a collaborative
research programme which has been undertaking a range of tasks from
seabed surveying and wave energy resource assessments to the
modelling of the interaction of different devices and their impact
on the electrical grid. The project aims to assist the Scottish
marine energy industry to move to a commercial scale in the
Hebrides.
Milestones
- 40MW seabed leaseSecured two Lease Option Agreements from Crown Estate, May 2011
- Environmental monitoringMonitoring of wildlife began October 2010 and was completed in September 2012
- Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping ReportSubmitted to Marine Scotland, May 2011
- Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping OpinionReceived from Marine Scotland, August 2011
- Notice of Pre-Application Consultation Submitted to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, February 2012
- Environmental Impact Assessment Completed by Royal Haskoning, February 2012
- Environmental Statement, Section 36 application and Marine Licence applicationSubmitted to Marine Scotland, March 2012
- Planning in Principle Application (including Pre-Application Consultation Report)Submitted to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, June 2012
- Onshore planning approvedApproved by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, September 2012
- Addendum to the Environmental StatementSubmitted to Marine Scotland, October 2012
- Full consent from Marine ScotlandAwarded in May 2013
The Comhairle has long maintained that the marine energy resource West of Hebrides is among the best in the world. Aquamarine Power’s commitment to this area validates that assessment and puts the area firmly on the renewables map. The Comhairle looks forward to the benefits that the company’s commitment will bring to the Outer Hebrides in terms of fabrication jobs, research activity and supply chain opportunities.
Angus Campbell
Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean SiarWe congratulate Aquamarine Power's success in securing seabed leases from the Crown Estate with a view to the development of wave energy projects of the west coast of Lewis. Harnessing the marine energy in this area will help to deliver the Scottish Government’s 2020 targets to reduce carbon emissions from renewables. There is also potential to create much needed employment in our islands both directly and through the supply chain. The Trust looks forward in anticipation to meaningful dialogue with Aquamarine Power as this proposed development moves forward. Importantly the local communities affected will need to be consulted on how the proposals impact them.
Lisa Maclean
Commercial Development Manager at community landowner, Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust)