- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 14 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when the final (a) capital and (b) revenue grant instalments were or will be issued to projects supported by the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme.
Answer
We expect to have issued the capital allocation under the scheme by March 2011. Projects can receive revenue payments for a maximum of five years after project commissioning.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 5 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of offshore wind developments being planned for Scottish territorial waters and, if none, what the reasons are for its position on this matter, in light of the SEA being conducted for other UK territorial waters.
Answer
The Scottish Government announced its plans for a strategic environmental assessment of Scottish territorial waters for offshore wind energy on 29 October 2008. This is currently being commissioned.
Further details are included in a Scottish Government news release of 29 October 2008, available at http://sh45inta/News/Releases/2008/10/29112030.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 5 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that information that might be available to it through a strategic environmental assessment is taken into account when determining offshore wind farm applications in Scottish territorial waters.
Answer
We expect that any application for an offshore wind farm will require an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The EIA should be informed by relevant plans, programmes and strategies for which a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has been undertaken. In this way the information available through the SEA will be material to the determination of the application.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 5 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of planned offshore wind developments as a matter of priority, in light of the increasing demand for such developments and concern that the absence of strategic guidance, which an SEA would provide, could disadvantage developers wishing to pursue sites in Scottish waters.
Answer
A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of Scottish territorial waters is currently being commissioned, and the rest of the renewable energy zone is the subject of an SEA being carried out in cooperation with the UK Government''s Department of Energy and Climate Change.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 4 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the impact of the research and development funding schemes for marine energy recently established in Ireland and the United States of America on the likelihood of tidal and wave technology companies locating in Scotland
Answer
We believe that the availability of support for marine energy in other countries, as well as in Scotland, is a positive development. Additional support for these technologies across the world will create tremendous opportunities for companies to export their devices from Scotland - as some are already doing.
We believe that the combination of the huge potential resource in Scotland and the incentives we are providing will continue to attract considerable research, development and operational activity to Scotland.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has had from the marine energy companies or industry bodies about research and development funding and what conclusions have been drawn from these representations.
Answer
We are in regular contact with a range of marine renewable stakeholders. The main conclusion to be drawn is that the sector welcomes the support that the Scottish Government continues to make available to develop the sector in Scotland. There is also clear demand for such support to continue and be extended.
The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has agreed recently that its Marine Energy Group should be reconvened for an updated examination of the sector''s progress and requirements. This will happen shortly, and we expect the group to assess the effects of the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme and its outputs when commenting on the need for future support for the sector.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the research and development funding schemes for marine energy recently established in Ireland and the United States of America.
Answer
We are aware of the marine energy support schemes being established in other parts of the world. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has agreed that its Marine Energy Group should be reconvened. This will happen shortly, and we expect that that an assessment of these schemes will form part of the group''s work.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the success of the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme in encouraging marine energy technology companies to locate or remain in Scotland
Answer
The Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme has clearly strengthened the position of marine energy companies based in and operating from Scotland, such as Wavegen and Aquamarine Power.
Meanwhile, the support available under the scheme, and the wider support established under the Renewables Obligation (Scotland), has encouraged other marine energy companies to establish themselves in Scotland, such as Tocardo Tidal Energy, which has its headquarters in Caithness.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons it has learned from the 2007 Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme and how it will apply those to a new marine energy research and development funding scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to support projects under the 2007 Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has agreed recently that its Marine Energy Group should be reconvened. We will look to FREDS to assess the effects of the support scheme and its outputs when commenting on the need for future support for the sector.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any analysis of the likely demand for a new Scottish marine energy research and development scheme and, if so, what the conclusions were.
Answer
There is a clear desire within the wave and tidal sector for the very welcome support from the Scottish Government to be continued and extended. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has recently agreed to reconvene a group which will focus on the future development of the sector. Among the outputs will be the group''s considered view on the extent and shape of future market and financial support.
