EDINBURGH, Scotland, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Supporting the fledgling marine power sector is part of the Scottish government's commitment to a low-carbon economy, a deputy minister said.
Nova Innovation, which has headquarters in Edinburgh, received a $3 million grant from a Scottish investment fund to develop a tidal array project. Nova, in turn, awarded manufacturing company Shetland Composites with a six-month contract to build turbines for an underwater array.
"The seas around Scotland have the potential to provide us with a sustainable, renewable energy source," Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney said in a statement Sunday. "We will do all we can to help companies such as Nova innovation to access these resources."
The Scottish government has one of the most ambitious low-carbon strategies in the world, looking to power its entire economy on renewable resources by the next decade.
The tidal project in question includes five turbines positioned about 100 feet underwater. The first three should be commissioned by the end of next year.
Last week, Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing unveiled plans to develop a technology center dubbed "Wave Energy Scotland," which he said would encourage innovation and development in the offshore marine energy sector.
The announcement came one day after wave energy company Pelamis said it's been unable to find the funding necessary to continue with its pioneering wave energy technology.
Nevertheless, Swinney said his confidence in the emerging power sector was unswayed.
"The Scottish government and its agencies will do everything we can to ensure Scotland benefits from the significant economic opportunities the renewables industry presents," he said.
His sentiments were backed last week by British Energy Secretary Ed Davey, who said that while tidal energy accounts for "only a tiny" fraction of global power, it's expected to expand more than tenfold by 2040, which much of the new generation coming from within the European Union.
