On 7 October, 1999, Greenpeace announced the launch of a 'Commission for Wave Power in Scotland,' at a briefing on the potential of wave power to the Scottish Parliament. The members of the new Commission range from MSPs, electricity suppliers and wave energy experts, to the Scottish TUC.
The commission will work independently of both Government and Greenpeace to determine how to capitalise on the industrial opportunities offered by Scotland's position as world leader in wave power. (1) It will report its findings to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive.
The formation of the Commission for Wave Power in Scotland by Greenpeace follows on from the highly positive response to Greenpeace's summer campaign to promote Scottish wave power, including a series of business seminars and public open days around Scotland with the Greenpeace flagship, the Rainbow Warrior.
Greenpeace renewable energy campaigner, Ian Taylor said,
"This summer we have been highlighting the fact that Scotland has the world's most innovative wave power companies, one of the world's best wave climates and some of the world's leading wave research scientists."
Speaking in support of the Commission, Tracey White from the Scottish Trades Union Congress, commented that
"Wave power requires just the skills and manufacturing facilities that Scotland's offshore, shipbuilding and heavy engineering industries possess in abundance. If the Commission for Wave Power can get things started now, Scotland stands a chance of achieving first-mover advantage in the wave power market just as Denmark did in the 1980's with the now-burgeoning wind power market."
Greenpeace has also carried out hands-on work to collect survey data for the wave power companies, Wavegen and Ocean Power Delivery, around the island of Islay, where the first commercial wave power machine is currently being installed.
The Commission was launched at a briefing for Scottish parliamentarians, hosted by George Lyon MSP, whose constituency includes Islay. Lyon, also a member of the Enterprise and Life-Long Learning Parliamentary Committee said
"The Islay community has embraced wave power as part of a vision for sustainable economic development as well as for its environmental benefits. The Commission for Wave Power in Scotland will help create a national vision for a world-beating wave power industry exploiting to the full Scotland's physical, human and industrial resources in wave power."
Other members of the Commission include power company Scottish and Southern Energy, renewable energy investor Fred Olsen Production Ltd, sustainable development organisation Forward Scotland, Government wave power adviser Tom Thorpe of ETSU, and MSPs Cathy Jamieson (Labour), Kenny MacAskill (SNP), Murray Tosh (Conservative) and Robin Harper, (Green).
Allan Thomson, Managing Director of Inverness-based Wavegen, whose 'Limpet' machine, now under construction on the coast of Islay, will be the first commercial-scale wave power machine, commented that "I am delighted, and impressed, that Greenpeace has acted as catalyst for the Commission for Wave Power in Scotland. This body has all the ingredients to get things moving for wave power."
Notes for editors:
1. The Business conference took place at the Quaker Meeting House,7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh.
2. The Commission will be fully independent of Government and of Greenpeace. Although Greenpeace has formed the Commission it will not become a member nor act as secretariat.
3. To keep ahead of rapid wave power developments around the world the Commission will aim to produce its findings rapidly. It will report its findings to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace UK Press Office on 020 7865 8255
