Following a visit to the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) project in New York City, where he witnessed two new turbines being lowered into place beneath the surface of the city's East River, Mr Russell said the time was now right for Scotland to exploit the untapped potential of tidal power.
The RITE project is one of two renewable energy projects currently being developed by Verdant Power in the USA.
-- Advertisement --
Scotland currently has a world quality marine energy research centre on the Island of Eday in Orkney, where a number of wave and tidal energy projects are being developed.
Mr Russell said: "Scotland is uniquely placed to be a world leader in tidal power. We are home to the meeting point of two powerful seas and the Pentland Firth has been described as the 'Saudi Arabia of tidal power'.
"The technology is still at an early stage but by learning from other early adopters projects such as the one I saw in New York we can ensure that Scotland is at the frontier.
"These are exciting times. We are at the start of a major new era for renewable energy and upon my return I look forward to sharing what I have learned in the USA with Energy Minister Jim Mather and the rest of my Scottish Government colleagues."
(GK/JM)
