Ed Davey News

The world’s biggest tidal array is to be built in North Scotland bringing jobs and energy security to the Pentland Firth region, informs a UK Government news release. The Government has provided £10 million worth of grant funding to the Meygen project, which will provide enough electricity to power 175,000 homes and provide up to 100 jobs when fully completed. Other funders include the Scottish Government, and The Crown Estate. The £51m scheme could inspire further projects in the Pentland Firth - helping to provide clean, sustainable and secure energy and jobs for the local community for decades to come. “The project also shows what can be done when the UK and Scottish Governments work together to provide a lasting benefit for the people of Scotland.

Britain on Tuesday warned Scots that voting for independence would put jobs and investment in the Scottish energy industry at risk, threatening the commercial viability of North Sea oil and gas fields and renewable energy projects. In September Scotland will hold an referendum on whether to sever its 307-year tie with England, with Scottish nationalists arguing that a split would give them greater economic freedom. The British government wants to keep the union intact and has produced a series of analysis papers arguing its case on issues such as the currency, security and finance. The latest paper, due to be released on Wednesday, will…

Britain urgently needs its oil and gas companies to pay for a new regulatory body to encourage industry collaboration and counter plunging North Sea production rates, a government review, the first since the mid-1990s, said on Monday. Britain's oil and gas output has fallen about two thirds since its peak at the turn of the century, but reforms could lead to 200 billion pounds ($330 billion) worth of extra oil and gas being extracted, the government said. The North Sea is thought to contain billions of barrels of hard-to-reach oil but with many platforms and pipelines coming to the end of their working lives, time is fast running out to get at them. The review's task was outlining how to make that easier.

Shell has signed an agreement with the U.K. Government to progress the Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project to the next phase of design. The project, led by Shell, with strategic support from SSE, owners of the Peterhead gas power station in Aberdeenshire, aims to capture10 million metric tons of CO2 over 10 years. This will generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes a year. If successful, the project will represent the first industrial-scale application of CCS technology at a gas power station anywhere in the world.

Government and business publish a long-term strategy that will strengthen the UK’s position in the offshore wind industry. The multi-million pound investment has the potential to unlock £7 billion in the economy by 2020. The UK currently has more offshore wind power than the rest of the world combined. The offshore wind industrial strategy aims to grow UK supply chain manufacturing so that more of the work and jobs can be done here. Investments by the government will include £20 million from the Regional Growth Fund to improve the UK wind industry’s supply chain…

The UK Secretary of State for energy and climate change has hailed subsea services company ROVOP as ‘a leading specialist in its field’ and one which is ensuring that the country remains at the global vanguard of the energy industry. The Rt Hon Ed Davey was speaking as ROVOP announced that it had further bolstered its fleet of cutting-edge ROVs by investing £4million into two new vehicles. Mr Davey, who met senior management at ROVOP during his visit to Aberdeen to engage with high-profile energy business leaders…