Marine Energy Park Information Day

20th November 2012

Residents are invited to a public information day at The Pentland Hotel, Thurso on Wednesday 28th November from 3pm - 8pm to hear the latest news on the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters wave and tidal energy projects.

The projects are among the first commercial-scale marine renewable energy schemes in the world and are located within the recently launched Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Energy Park.

The event will provide an opportunity to hear about progress with developments, give your views, ask questions and meet a number of organisations.

Twelve projects are now under development by a total of 12 companies, some working on more than one project and some working in joint ventures.

Eleven of the projects were announced in 2010 and are now two years into the development process. Over this period, the developers have been surveying their sites, starting to prepare environmental impact assessments and undertaking engineering design activities. The 12thproject was announced recently and development is just getting started.

The project developers are being supported by a number of organisations:

The Highland Council is promoting local economic benefits through its �North Highland Onshore Vision� programme and working together with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to upgrade local ports.
HIE and Scottish Enterprise are promoting economic development from the projects, seeking to maximise local content.
The Crown Estate is working closely with the developers to accelerate and de-risk the development process, commissioning enabling actions work.
The Scottish Government (Marine Scotland) is preparing to provide consents for the schemes, undertaking research with a range of local stakeholders.
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHETL) and National Grid are planning and designing new electrical infrastructure, to enable the projects to be connected to the grid.
These organisations, together with the trade association Scottish Renewables, collectively form the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Leadership Forum (PFOWLF), a group established to ensure effective and efficient delivery of the projects over this decade.

The event is being presented by the PFOWLF, whose members will be attending exhibition stands and will be on hand to answer questions. There will also be staff from project development companies, the Orkney-based European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and other organisations.

There will be a short presentation from a member of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Leadership Forum giving an update on industry progress, at 4.30pm and 7pm.

Councillor Drew Hendry, Leader of The Highland Council, welcomed the event as a further opportunity to update the public on progress with an industry that offers significant potential for the north.

He said: �2012 has been a year of significant announcements for marine renewables in the north. The Scrabster Enterprise Area; Scotland�s first Marine Energy Park; the final four competitors for the �10M Saltire Prize; and the official opening of two state of the art facilities at North Highland College.

�With the completion of Phase 1 of Scrabster Harbour Trust�s development and the submission by Meygen to Marine Scotland of its application to build its first phase of tidal power in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth it is clear to see that the area is close to the centre of activity in marine renewables. I hope members of the public will take this opportunity to meet key players in the development of this exciting industry and to find out more about what it might mean for the area�s economy.�