The UK Government has allocated £4.6 million for its islands, with £3 million designated for the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced the funding during the UK Islands Forum, emphasising EMEC’s role in ocean energy testing.
Established in 2003, EMEC is the primary wave and tidal energy testing centre globally, hosting numerous ocean energy technologies.
Its economic impact assessment values its contribution to the UK economy at £370 million over two decades, with a significant portion in Scotland, particularly Orkney.
EMEC serves as an innovation hub, supporting research in ocean energy, green hydrogen production and storage solutions.
It reduces risk and deployment costs for new technologies, participating in £538 million worth of renewable industry R&D projects.
EMEC plans to expand test facilities for tidal energy arrays and integrate green hydrogen and storage solutions.
