Wave, tidal and offshore wind developments have  international attention
Scotland is leading the world in the development of offshore  renewables – according to two senior figures from development agency Highlands  and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
HIE Chief Executive, Alex Paterson and  Director of Energy and Low Carbon, Calum Davidson are both presenting at the  All-Energy exhibition and conference in Aberdeen tomorrow [Thursday 24  May].
Mr Paterson will be taking part in the UK Offshore Wind Supply  Chain Seminar – outlining the support Highlands and Islands Enterprise and  Scottish Enterprise (SE) provide to the offshore wind supply chain – before  featuring on a discussion panel of industry experts.
Mr Paterson said:  “The offshore wind sector presents Scotland with a once-in-a-generation  opportunity. The sector has the potential to create 28,000 offshore jobs and bring £30bn  of investment to Scotland.
“In the HIE area alone, infrastructure  investments of around £35m have been made or are planned to support developments  at N-RIP sites including Nigg, Arnish and Machrihanish – and discussions are  ongoing with regard to support at other sites.
”The majority of offshore  wind projects proposed in Scottish waters are in the development and consenting  phase now, and already tens of millions of pounds are being spent in the  Scottish and UK economies in advance of any consents being  granted.
“Alongside this, the enterprise agencies have been working hard  to ensure that the right climate exists to capture these opportunities and make  sure that they leave a lasting impact.
“HIE and SE have worked closely  with our international arm, Scottish Development International, to bring inward  investors to Scotland, and two great examples of where that has worked really  well are in bringing Gamesa to Leith, and Wind Towers Ltd to  Machrihanish.
“It shows real confidence in Scotland’s renewables  reputation, and now is our chance to build a successful industry and achieve a  lasting legacy from the development of this sector.”
In a separate  session, Mr Davidson will be providing an update to delegates on the  world-leading wave and tidal developments in the Pentland Firth and Orkney  Waters – following on from having taken part in a debate on Marine Energy Parks  at the conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Davidson commented:  “According to recent research undertaken by Scottish Renewables, with 11,000  people directly employed in renewable energy in Scotland, the whole sector is  employing more people than the Scottish whisky industry.
“Scotland is  known to have the most ambitious renewables targets in the world. By 2020, the  Scottish Government is aiming for 40,000 energy jobs in renewables in Scotland, and we  expect at least 10,000 of these to be in the Highlands and Islands – including  several thousand in wave and tidal energy.
“Orkney is at the centre of an  embryonic industry which could help power the globe. The world looks to Orkney  for the latest developments in wave and tidal energy. The14 test berths at EMEC  – the world’s first and only grid-connected wave and tidal test centre – are now  all fully contracted and new developments are appearing around Scotland’s  coastline.”
These projects include the world’s first shoreline wave  device, Wavegen’s Limpet on Islay; the world’s first offshore wave device,  Pelamis; and the world’s first floating tidal device to generate electricity to  the grid, Scotrenewables’ SR250 – all of which have been developed by Scottish  marine developers.
He continued: “Scotland is clearly leading the world  in the development of this new global industry. We are the world centre for  marine testing, with more devices deployed in Scottish waters than the rest of  the world combined, and a growing cluster of Highlands and Islands companies  supporting the marine renewables supply chain.
“In addition to the  fantastic natural resources Scotland has, it is thanks to the fact that  industry, academia and Government have worked so closely over the last decade  that Scotland has the global lead in this sector.”
Mr Paterson will  deliver his presentation at the UK Offshore Wind Supply Chain Seminar which  begins on Thursday afternoon [24 May], the second day of the UK’s largest  renewable energy exhibition and conference.
Mr Davidson will be  presenting on Thursday morning, following on from his inclusion on the panel  debating Marine Energy Parks on Wednesday afternoon.
The Highlands and  Islands are being represented by 76 exhibiting companies in regional pavilions,  including Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and Argyll – all coming together under the  HI-energy banner.
The event at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference  Centre has attracted delegates from across the globe, with over 580 exhibitors  from over 20 countries and 300-plus speakers.

Source: http://www.allmediascotland.com/media_releases/33915/scotland-s-lead-in-offshore-renewables-set-to-create-thousands-of-jobs