Tidal farm project to cause a sea change

Published Date: 11 February 2009
By Jenny Haworth

INSIDE ENVIRONMENT

LOOKING out over the vast expanse of sea off the north coast, there is currently little to see other than crashing waves and diving seabirds.In ten years' time the view may be very similar, but lurking beneath the waves there will have been considerable changes, according to experts.An insider in the renewables industry has predicted that there will be thousands of tidal machines generating electricity from under the waves in the Pentland Firth.Renewables firms have previously spoken of a desire to build between a dozen and several hundred tidal farm devices in the Pentland Firth – a stretch of water famed for its ferocious tides. However, predictions given to me this week go one step further, suggesting the scale of development could be far greater."There will be 3,000 in the Pentland Firth in the next few years," said the source. "There's room for thousands of machines in there."He believes there will be tidal farms in that stretch of ocean by 2011, and that by 2015 there will have been a large-scale development of tidal power.Dozens of companies are currently designing and building prototype tidal devices, which often look like small wind turbines that would sit on the seabed. Little is yet known about the impact of tidal energy machines on marine life. Such mass development could be seen as a threat by environmental groups keen to protect the seas from over-development.Energy companies are likely to be testing the water when they apply to build tidal farms in the Pentland Firth. It is the first area of ocean around the UK to be opened up for marine renewables development by the Crown Estate – which owns the seabed.Any tidal farm would have to be granted planning permission, which would be likely to consider the impact on the marine environment. However, with energy companies having such high hopes for the site, marine groups are likely to be keeping a very close eye on their activity.