Development of the largest tidal array in Europe has received approval from the Scottish Government.

Ministers granted consent to the project which will see the construction of the first tidal energy project in the Pentland Firth.

The project will be located in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth off the north coast of Caithness and is the largest tidal stream energy project to be awarded consent in Europe.

It constitutes the first phase of a site that could eventually yield up to 398MW.

MeyGen plans to build an initial demonstration array of a nine megawatt project of up to six turbines, with construction starting in early 2014 and the turbines commissioned in 2015.

This initial array will provide valuable environmental data for the subsequent phases and the wider tidal energy industry.

Ed Rollings, Environment & Consents Manager of MeyGen, said: "The award of this consent is the culmination of over 4 years of environmental work and extensive consultation with stakeholders and the local community in Caithness.

"The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters region is an internationally important area for wildlife and we are committed to continuing research with interested parties to ensure that the exploitation of this clean, predictable and sustainable energy resource is done so in a manner that does not have a detrimental effect on the species and habitats in the area."

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Minister Ewing added: "Today, we have granted consent to MeyGen Limited to develop the largest tidal turbine array in Europe and the first commercial project off these shores.

"This is a major step forward for Scotland's marine renewable energy industry. When fully operational, the 86 megawatt array could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 42,000 homes – around 40 per cent of homes in the Highlands.

"This exciting development in the waters around Orkney is just the first phase for a site that could eventually yield up 398 megawatts."

Speaking before the Scottish Renewables Marine Conference started in Inverness, Mr Ewing also announced that developers Aquamarine Power Limited and Pelamis Wave Power are to share a slice of a £13m wave "first array" support programme.

It is part of the Scottish Government's Marine Renewables Commercialisation Fund.

Mr Ewing said: "The tide is also turning for the wave sector. Both wave and tidal technologies need support if we are to maintain our leading position in marine energy. The Scottish Government's awards to Aquamarine Power Limited and Pelamis Wave Power will enable them to develop their technologies further so they can successfully deploy the first wave arrays.

"We must tackle climate change. We need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels through better and more efficient uses of energy. Marine energy – a home grown technology with huge potential – is part of the solution.

"Last week I welcomed the Audit Scotland report that shows strong and strategic leadership from this government within the renewable sector is key to the successes to date. No government since devolution has embarked on such an ambitious programmes of investment to transform our renewable energy sector."

(JP/CD)