PLANS for tidal turbines in the Sound of Islay as part of the largest tidal stream project in the world could bring jobs to Kintyre in the wake of Vestas’ intention to quit.
Three sites in Scotland and Ireland have been chosen by ScottishPower Renewables for the Lánstrøm tidal turbines with a combined output of 60 megawatts.
The sites at Pentland Firth, North Antrim in Ireland and the Sound of Islay could be operational by 2020; the planning application is expected next summer.
Between five and 20 tidal turbines would be installed at each site producing energy for up to 40,000 homes.
Deep Water Facilities
Councillor Rory Colville contacted the leader of the council on Tuesday to ask him to promote the role Campbeltown could play in the project. He said: ‘With its excellent deep water facilities Campbeltown would be ideally placed during the construction phase and the long-term maintenance.’
The plans have been revealed after the successful completion of a four-year technology test programme.
Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism Jim Mather MSP said: ‘We have massive potential to meet our energy needs several times over from marine renewables. Scotland has a marine energy resource which is unrivalled in Europe - we have an estimated 25 per cent of Europe’s tidal resource and 10 per cent of its wave potential.
‘Much of that energy is in Argyll and Bute; so Scottish Power’s announcement is hugely exciting and promises an exciting energy future and new opportunities for the constituency.
‘Any application for tidal devices in the Sound of Islay will of course be considered carefully on its merits. This underlines the momentum beginning to build within the marine renewables sector in response to the incentives from the Scottish Government.’
Dr Vince Cable, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats who was visiting Campbeltown told The Courier: ‘It [Vestas] is the victim of a big company’s strategies that don’t fit the local area, but what is disappointing is that wind power has a tremendous future in the UK or should have. Government’s agree that we should have a big expansion of new renewables, ie not nuclear and the two most suited to the UK, one is wind power and one is tidal power are here in abundance. You have an operation that is already working and you have the skilled people to do it. There is obviously a failure of government and a failure of corporate strategy that doesn’t seem able to make this work.
‘One of the reasons I was concerned about the decision to sell out British energy to the French EDF which has occurred during this week is that that represents a real commitment to new nuclear power and that will have the effect of throttling at birth the new renewable industry.’
