Scotland will lead the future development of marine renewables within the UK and Ireland, it was agreed at today's Summit of the British Irish Council in Cardiff.

The proposal, to enable the Scottish Government to take leadership in maximising opportunities while driving innovation and growth in marine energy, was unanimously supported by the Council.

The UK Government will take forward work around proposals for an electricity 'supergrid'. Both Governments will provide progress reports to the bi-annual Summit after energy was established as a key issue to be considered at future meetings.


First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Scotland's ambition for the development of marine renewables matches our capability. We can and will be a world leader in clean, green energy.

"From our wealth of natural resources in wind, wave and tidal power - with up to 25 per cent of Europe's renewable energy potential - Scotland is fast emerging as the powerhouse of marine renewables."

The FM said this was the reason why they launched the £10m Saltire Prize. The Scottish Government has received 83 registrations of interest from organisations in 19 countries based across five continents, looking to compete for the Saltire Prize.

"During tough economic times, our renewables sector continues to perform strongly with more than £1 billion of investment in recent months. Our seas are open for offshore wind development, there is commercial investment in wave and tidal energy in the Pentland Firth, and only this week I opened the HQ in Aberdeen of another marine energy company locating in Scotland, " he added.

Mr Salmond concluded: "Scotland is leading the world in renewable energy, and we are delighted to be leading this important work stream on behalf of the whole British-Irish Council."

(GK/JM)