The study comes on the same day that the Scottish Government is expected to announce its marine energy strategy and highlights the challenge ahead if the industry is to grow successfully.

The survey of wave data shows that the areas expected to have the greatest energy resource and be suitable for initial development – the north west coast of Scotland, out to the west of the Outer Hebrides – are the very areas that lack reliable and consistent data, It also highlights the role that monitoring in the North Sea by the oil and gas industry could have in the future development of the sector.

The Crown Estate commissioned the report in an attempt to establish what data the marine energy industry needs in order to develop. As owner of the seabed, The Crown Estate is a key player in Scotland’s wave and tidal energy industry.

Rob Hastings, director of the Marine Estate at The Crown Estate, said: “We are committed to working with the Scottish Government, industry and other agencies to ensure that the Scottish marine energy industry is supported and nurtured. Scotland has considerable resource potential which could lead to high-value jobs in Scotland and we at The Crown Estate are already applying all our efforts help realise that potential.

“It is clear that more detailed research is needed into a number of key features of the area including the marine energy resources and the marine wildlife for example. This information is essential if the industry is going to develop technology, attract finance and locate the most appropriate sites. The report we have published today takes us one step towards filling those knowledge gaps and helping to develop industry confidence.”

The marine energy sector needs consistent and reliable data – the more certain the energy yield predictions, the more likely developers will be able to attract investors, the report contends.

The Crown Estate is already supporting the renewables industry. It is currently involved in work at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney and on the Pentland Firth Tidal Energy Project. It is also leading and supporting various studies and research programmes and recently published the widely-welcomed report into the viability of improving the grid by developing an east coast subsea electricity transmission line.

Recommendations from the report include:

1. A review of strategic marine energy resources in order to determine where best any additional long term data buoys (or alternate systems) may be deployed (section 4).

2. An analysis of offshore oil and gas data in the North Sea into a suitable data format for future use by marine renewable industry (last paragraph, section 2.2.2.2).

3. Pursuing the location of buoy(s) west of the Outer Hebrides where there is likely to be significant resource and where the first full-scale developments are most likely (section 5.2) “Coverage of the strategic resource area to the west of the Outer Hebrides is sparse and should be increased.” (Key Recommendations, Executive Summary).

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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