Canadian visit

A fact finding visit to Orkney will help shape the development of tidal energy on the other side of the Atlantic.

A delegation from Canada has visited EMEC, the Stromness-based European Marine Energy Centre, on 28 November 2006 to assess ways to exploit the energy generating potential of Nova Scotia’s coastal waters.

EMEC is the world’s first test facility for new technologies designed to convert the power of waves and tidal currents into electricity for homes and businesses.

During their visit to the UK, the Nova Scotia delegation met regulators and policy makers before heading north to discuss EMEC’s role in the development of marine renewables.

Peter Underwood, deputy minister in the province’s department of natural resources, said: “We have the highest tides in the world and we’ve had a number of expressions of interest from companies interested in exploiting this natural resource.

“We are very excited about the possibilities and we are in the process of developing policies that will govern the development of offshore energy generation around our coast.

“These new technologies look very attractive to us, so we thought it was important we visit EMEC and see for ourselves the infrastructure put in place to move this sector forward.”

He added: “Our government is keen to go down the green energy road. Our tides represent a huge opportunity for us and we’ve now gathered the information we need to go forward with advice and recommendations to our government.”

Neil Kermode, EMEC’s managing director, said he was pleased the Nova Scotia delegation had been encouraged by their visit.

“There is huge potential for marine energy generation from all three of Canada’s oceans,” he said.

“EMEC is recognised as a world leader in wave and tidal energy research and we look forward to the day when devices tested here are generating power on both sides of the Atlantic.”