ScottishPower Renewables has been awarded a tidal development site in the Pentland Firth. The tidal site at Ness of Duncansby will consist of up to ninety-five turbines to be supplied by Norway's Hammerfest Strøm with offices in Glasgow.

Hammerfest Strøm turbine is already in a Joint Venture with ScottishPower Renewables with an initial priority to install a 1MW pre-commercial turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney Islands. The turbine is expected to be fully operational in 2011. After that a 10MW array for ScottishPower Renewables is planned the malt whisky haven of Islay in the west coast of Scotland.

Stein Atle Andersen, Hammerfest Strøm, CEO (left) says: “We see this as a clear message from the market - the demand exists. We will continue the work towards commercialisation and aim to develop leading tidal technology with cost-effective energy production, compatible with other renewable energy technologies in the market."

The technology used in these projects is based on Hammerfest Strøm experience with its 300kW prototype turbine. Installed in 2003, the first of its kind in the world to successfully deliver electricity from kinetic energy in tidal water to the grid. Designed for only three years’ initial operation, it proved so successful it was operated for almost four years before requiring a maintenance overhaul. Last year Hammerfest Strøm reinstalled the turbine to support ongoing technology development.

“We have increased the energy output and experienced very high reliability after the re-installation, and we will our tests to accelerate the development of this pioneering technology”, says (right) Hammerfest Strøm’s inventor and technology director Harald Johansen.

"There are," claims TimesonLine  "at least 80 different types of underwater turbines and other devices in development. Of the projects sanctioned by Salmond, no two designs even looks similar. As a result, it remains an expensive source of power. Is Scotland really ruling the waves? Or is it simply sponsoring a giant science project?"

Perhaps Scotland simply likes a good energy game, where the winner will be diversified!

Scottish & Southern Energy is backing the underwater turbine, designed by the Irish firm OpenHydro which will develop a 200MW tidal energy farm in the Pentland Firth where its Eday installation is sited.