The European Union is targeting a 20% increase in renewable energies by 2020, prompting the Crown Estate to launch the Further Scottish Leasing (Saltire Prize projects) and Demonstration Leases Round that offers organizations opportunities to license seabed areas within the United Kingdom’s Renewable Energy Zone.
The Crown Estate owns the majority of the seabed within a 12 nautical mile limit of UK territorial waters, and the estate has already made available areas for the development of offshore tidal power projects.
The Crown Estate’s most recent licensees and their allotted lots are:
DP Marine Energy Limited (tidal site at Isle of Islay)
Glaxo Operations UK Limited (tidal site at Esk Estuary)
Pelamis Wave Power Limited (wave site at Isle of Lewis)
Sea Generation (Wales) Limited (tidal site at Skerries)
AWS Ocean Energy Limited (wave site at Burghead)
Minesto UK Limited (tidal site at Strangford Lough)
Argyll Tidal Limited (tidal site at Mull of Kintyre)
Nova Innovation Limited (tidal site at Bluemull Sound)
Oceanflow Development Limited (tidal site at Sanda Sound)
The contracts are only for use of the sites and award no money to the recipients.