EDINBURGH, Scotland, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said Wednesday his country aims to be among the world leaders in developing emerging marine power technology.
"Our ambition for Scotland's emerging wave and tidal sector remains great," he said in a statement. "We know that the successful harnessing of ocean power takes hard work and persistence and the Scottish government is determined to support those within the industry."
Data collection projects and a 500 kilowatt turbine in the North Atlantic will be developed with the help of $4.6 million set aside for marine energy, Ewing said. Tidal power company Atlantis Resources Corp. will get $3.3 million to establish an engineering hub in Edinburgh
Scotland is set to lead the world in development of marine power technology given its wind, wave and tidal resources, the minister said.
Scotland has one of the most ambitious renewable energy targets in the world. It set a goal of generating 100 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020.
Scotland holds a referendum for independence from the United Kingdom in September.
