Crown Estate plans tidal power future in Scotland

Developers have a month to apply for licenses to install marine power stations in the area around Pentland Firth

The Crown Estate has invited proposals from developers to install the UK’s first commercial marine power sites in the area around Pentland Firth in north Scotland.

This first round of development is intended to generate 700MW of clean electricity from wave and tidal sources by 2020.

“In this country we are widely recognised as having both the technological lead and some of the best wave and tidal resources in the world,” said Rob Hastings, the Crown Estate’s director of the marine estate. “It is essential that this technology is given every opportunity to thrive here, in our waters, to the benefit of the environment, the energy industry, and the wider Scottish economy.”

Tidal streams are seen by many as a plentiful and predictable supply of clean energy. The most conservative estimates suggest there is at least five gigawatts of power in tidal flows around the country, but there could be as much as 15GW. The Pentland Firth area contains six of the top 10 sites in the UK for tidal power development and it has been nicknamed the Saudi Arabia of marine energy.

Guardian