Wave Energy

That the Parliament congratulates Ocean Power Delivery for the signing of the order to build the initial phase of the world’s first commercial wave farm; notes that there are 14GW of potential wave energy, as well as 7.5GW of tidal energy, in Scotland’s waters; regrets the UK Government’s historical antipathy towards marine energy, lasting 20 years and more; regrets that in the last two years the UK Government’s energy department has had four energy ministers, Malcolm Wicks, Mike O’Brien, Stephen Timms and Brian Wilson and two name changes, from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to the Orwellian Department of Productivity, Energy and Industry and back again; further regrets the admission of the DTI that it will not achieve its 10% renewable energy target by 2010; notes the disparity between the £50 million commitment of the DTI towards marine energy and the £50 billion price bill for managing current levels of radioactive waste; regrets that the DTI appears to want more nuclear power while admitting that questions of finance, government support, market mechanisms, public support and storage of radioactive waste are still unanswered; supports the Scottish Executive in its efforts to promote renewable energy through the Forum for Renewable Energy Development (FREDS), the Marine Energy Test Centre in Orkney, the Renewables Obligation system and the 40% renewables target, and calls on the UK Government to embrace marine energy as a source of carbon-free electricity generation, worth potentially thousands of Scottish jobs and many millions of pounds of Scottish exports.