EoW March 2013

News Corporate

UK wave ‘hot-spots’ in Cornwall and Scotland

New research from the Carbon Trust reveals that the Cornish coast and the waters west of Scotland, off Lewis and Uist, are the UK’s wave power “hot spots”.

These areas, 100km offshore on the edge of the UK’s continental shelf, are the most economically suitable locations for developing wave energy, where wave

devices would maximise energy capture from the Atlantic swells. If exploited, sites in these locations could generate power from waves at around half the cost of current developments. “If we can continue to innovate, to prove the technology at scale and to bring down costs, then there is every reason to believe that wave power can provide a significant contribution to our energy needs,” says Stephen Wyatt of the Carbon Trust. While UK waters offer a potential total resource of 230TWh per year, the Carbon Trust’s estimates indicate that wave energy devices could extract a total of up to 95TWh per year. Of that, some 32-42TWh per year – or over 10GW of wave energy capacity – is technically and economically realistic to extract. If wave farms of 500km in length could be installed to deliver 42TWh per year, it would provide 11 per cent of the UK’s current power generation requirements. Carbon Trust – UK Website : www.carbontrust.com

Cable cost rise for Western Isles Scottish Hydro Electric (SHE), a subsidiary of energy company SSE, expects the cost of a planned subsea power cable to increase by 75 per cent. The cable, to link renewable energy projects on the Western Isles with mainland Scotland, is now expected to cost in excess of £700m. SHE said that completion of the cable and the £75m worth of infrastructure needed on Lewis, originally anticipated for 2015, could be delayed for 12 months or longer. The Western Isles Council leader has called for an inquiry into the project. Angus Campbell said questions needed to be asked about the costs and timescale of the link. SHE said it was committed to working towards achieving timely, cost effective investment in the transmission system in the north of Scotland. A spokesperson said: “We will provide a further update on the progress of the Western Isles transmission project, including our supply chain discussions around cost and delivery date, by the end of the year.” Scottish Hydro Electric – UK Website : www.hydro.co.uk

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March 2013