The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which will also pave the way for storage of carbon dioxide, and further offshore wind and oil and gas activities, will ensure that environmental concerns are addressed as the UK’s offshore energy resources are developed further.
Speaking at the Renewable UK Wave and Tidal Conference 2010, Energy and Climate Change Minister David Kidney said: ”I am keen that we get as much of our energy as we can from home-grown sources, and our seas are a fantastic asset that can help us do this – in a number of ways. The exercise I’m launching today will help us identify opportunities for new development, whilst taking into account any possible impacts on the marine environment.
”And by including wave and tidal in this assessment for the first time, we’re laying the foundations for commercial deployment of these technologies. This SEA and our forthcoming Marine Action Plan, alongside our other support measures, will create the kind of investor certainty that will help us maintain our position as world leaders in marine energy technology.”
RenewableUK’s analysis shows that up to 2GW of Wave and Tidal capacity could be installed by 2020 – enough to power 1.4 million UK homes.
Jane Davidson, environment minister of Wales, said: “This is great news for Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government has big marine energy aspirations, and anticipates utilizing many gigawatts of power from wave and tidal stream by 2025.”
