ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY David Miliband visited Leith to see a Fife-built “Pelamis”—the world’s first wave energy converter to be in commercial production.

Mr Miliband and Mark Lazarowicz, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, toured the yard operated by Ocean Power Delivery that created the converter.

Pelamis is a 120 metre-long sea-snake that harnesses the motion of the sea to generate electricity which is built primarily in Methil. Other components are added in Stonehaven before the structure is completed in Arnish in the Western Isles. Pelamis has so impressed the Portuguese that an entire field of the machines is being constructed off the Port of Peniche where they will meet the electricity needs of 15,000 households—with the spin-off benefit of there being 60,000 tonnes less CO2 pumped out by conventional generating plants.

“It is hugely encouraging to see the UK leading the field in wave power and to see that taking measures to tackle climate change is not just about costs and penalties,” said Mr Miliband.

“But also there is strong economic potential in UK jobs and exports if we can develop this market.”

Max Carcas, business development director for OPD, said, “The World Energy Council estimates that the market potential for wave energy to be more than 2000 terawatt hours per year—equivalent to the existing markets for nuclear and hydroelectricity, worth in excess of £500bn.

“If this global potential can be realised it could result in CO2 emissions being reduced by up to two billion tonnes per annum, an impact many times greater than the UK’s own renewables obligation, which itself is significant.”