Two British companies have today been awarded a share of £20 million to help drive forward growth in the UK’s marine energy industry. Two British companies have today been awarded a share of £20 million to help drive forward growth in the UK’s marine energy industry.
The UK's two Marine Energy Parks (MEP) will today (Thursday 28 Feb) sign a milestone agreement to work together to support the development of the wave and tidal industry in the United Kingdom. The collaboration agreement, which will be signed at the Renewable UK Wave and Tidal Conference in London, will be witnessed by Greg Barker, MP, Minister of State for Climate Change and Fergus Ewing, MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism.
Households across Highland have an opportunity to save hundreds of pounds on their energy bills as part of a collective buying initiative. Highland residents have until Sunday 17 March to join in to secure a better deal from energy companies by buying energy together.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (February, 27th) sold 1,689 sheep of all classes. Lambs (871) averaged £44.64 and sold to £77 gross for a Cheviot from 58 Rhue, Ullapool.
A nationwide debate will get underway today to ensure Scotland becomes a world class digital nation by 2020. ‘Scotland’s Digital Dialogue’ will see a series of workshops, demonstrations, conferences and debates take place from now until the end of May, led by the Scottish Government in partnership with prominent digital experts, universities and business leaders.
The Highland Council welcomes Transport Scotland’s announcement today that a £1.3 million ground investigation contract is expected to be awarded early next month, for the dualling of the A9 Perth – Inverness road. Leader of the Highland Council, Councillor Drew Hendry said: “We are delighted that this early sign of delivery on dualling of the A9 has been announced.
The Highland’s three MPs - Danny Alexander (Inverness Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey), Charles Kennedy, (Ross Skye and Lochaber) and John Thurso (Caithness Sutherland and East Ross) - attended a meeting of The Highland Council’s Welfare Reform Working Group today (Friday) to hear the Council’s concerns about welfare reform and ideas for action that may reduce the impact of change. Councillor Alasdair Christie, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Welfare Reform Working Group welcomed the opportunity of a face-to-face briefing with the MPs.
The Scottish Government has announced a £1.3 million funding boost to help first-time buyers in the Highlands on to the property ladder. The Rural Rent to Buy model will support those on low and modest incomes who will initially rent a newly built property for five years before purchasing it at a reduced price.
Changing the way food for school meals is sourced will help improve the standard of school meals. Scottish Ministers announced today that work would be taken forward to ensure that as much locally sourced food as possible will be served within Scotland's schools.
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has warned the UK Government that investment uncertainty created by electricity market reform is risking thousands of offshore wind jobs. Ahead of a debate on the Energy, Enterprise and Tourism Committee’s report on the achievability of the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets, Mr Ewing warned the UK coalition ministers’ mixed messages on energy policy and continuing uncertainty around Electricity Market Reform, including the lack of a decarbonisation target until at least 2016, is risking jobs, investment and economic growth The proposals outlined in the Energy Bill published in November 2012 lack measures to give investors confidence beyond 2020, putting the UK at a disadvantage compared to countries like Germany which has already set a clear target of 26GW from offshore wind by 2030.
Local arrangements for police and fire and rescue are making excellent progress ahead of new single services going live on April 1, an event to share good practice heard today. Almost 200 people from across Scotland attended the Local Scrutiny and Engagement event in Edinburgh.
Energy: Good news this week from Ignis Biomass Ltd, the owners and operators of the Combined Heat & Power Plant in Wick. The Company has invested an initial £2.5M in a new biomass boiler, which has now been installed and is operating.
Report by Bill Mowat The vessel was there for Mojo Maritime Ltd of Falmouth, Cornwall and was in port to deploy three 'Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler' (ADCP) devices on the seabed of the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound. This was undertaken for MeyGen Ltd, the company that holds the Crown Estate's seabed licence for that part of the Firth as a site for development as 'the world's first commercial tidal stream electricity power station'.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (February, 21st) sold 28 registered Cheviot females at its Harbro sponsored show and sale, and 89 in lamb Cheviots for the dispersal of the Amat flock on behalf of W R Cameron. The judge Mr W.
Staff, parents and pupils in the Highlands are being reassured about the quality and safe consumption of the fresh meat and processed food used in school meals in the Highlands. Council Catering and Cleaning Manager Norma Murray has written to the head teachers of the Council's 177 primary schools, 29 secondary schools and three special schools in response to the national debate and general concerns surrounding the presence of horsemeat in some UK food products.
New Renewables Energy Show For Agriculture To Be Held At Thainstone Centre A renewables energy show for Scottish farming is to be held at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, in April. AgriEnergy 2013 will be a two-day event aimed at showcasing and discussing the latest developments in wind, solar, biomass, hydro and other forms of sustainable energy.
Highland Councillor Robert Coghill, who represents Landward Caithness, has given notice of his intention to resign, with effect from Thursday 28 February. Councillor Coghill, who helps run a farm at Halkirk, is standing down on medical advice.
Six Highland community groups have been selected to progress bids for funding from The Highland Council’s new Community Challenge Fund, which will provide £1 million for community projects exploring new ways of delivering services at a local level. The groups are Nairn Cricket Club, Kinlochleven Community Trust, Lochalsh Sports Association, Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust, Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston Community Company and Lochaber Sports Association.
Driving home the safer roads educational message and building on the success of their previous campaigns, NOSDAT – North Of Scotland Driver Awareness Team, set up by local MSP David Stewart, will launch their next campaign ‘ Switch onto Safer Roads’ on Monday 25 February 2013. Previously the Group set up and ran the ‘Sensible Driving – Always Arriving’ Deadly Mates campaign, after the tragic deaths of two local Inverness teenagers in a road collision in the city.
Ignis Biomass Ltd has installed and is now operating a new biomass boiler to provide heat for the district heating scheme in Wick. The new 3.5 megawatt steam boiler is part of an initial £2.5m investment in the Wick district heating scheme, following its purchase by Ignis in June 2012.
