A new £10 million fund will support the commercial deployment of tidal-energy generation in Scottish waters.

This sits alongside the £30 million committed to date by the Scottish government to Wave Energy Scotland (WES) and a further £10 million proposed for WES in 2019/20.

Scotland’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse (pictured), said: “Scotland continues to lead the world in developing and supporting marine-energy technology, with the European Marine Energy Centre on Orkney recognised as a global centre of excellence.

“Tidal energy will not only play an important role in our own energy system but also has substantial export potential.

“The industry has taken momentous steps forward in recent years, but the path to commercialisation is taking longer —
and proving more difficult — than initially expected.

"The Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund provides a timely and appropriate approach for the Scottish government
to support the current needs of the sector and to help ensure that Scotland’s huge marine energy potential is realised, while my officials and I work with the sector on wider support for innovation.”