The Crown Estate, the property portfolio of the British Crown, said it has invited four companies to submit offers to build wave and tidal projects in the strategic Pentland Firth and Orkney waters, north of Scotland.
The companies, which the estate did not name, are entering the second phase of the tendering process for the Inner Sound project which will require them to submit more detailed plans. The first phase, which happened in April and May, involved the companies’ submission of expression of interest and complete prequalification papers.
The Crown Estate revealed that it is planning to award an agreement for the successful bidder some time after September.
The estate is working with partners Highlands & Island Enterprise, Orkney Islands Council, Highland Council and the Scottish government to maximize the area’s offshore potential.
The estate said the Inner Sound project can produce 200 megawatts or more of power owing to its location, which has the strongest tides in the area. It lies between Caithness county on the Scottish mainland and the island of Stroma. The project will operational by 2020.
“We are pleased to see continuing interest in tidal energy development in the Inner Sound,” said Rob Hastings, director of the estate’s marine development.
He added that the project could advance the wave and tidal industry planned for the prime location, where 1,200 MW of wave and tidal energy projects were unveiled in March this year.
The Crown Estate, which used to belong to the British monarch, owns up to 12 nautical miles of the British seabed and over 55 percent of the foreshore. Its portfolio includes more than £6 billion ($8.9 billion) in properties ranging from cityscapes, ancient forests, farms, parkland, coastline and communities.
