| Wave & tidal power
Far left: Nova M100 by Nova Innovation
Left: Extensive monitoring of operational tidal projects in Scotland has found no evidence of seal-turbine collisions (Photo by Ewan Edwards)
“Alternative offtake routes for tidal stream generation
across Scotland could play an important role in enabling the sector’s development, given existing grid constraints,” Eileen Linklater, Corporate Affairs Director at EMEC, adds. “To realise this potential, key recommendations focus on strategic planning around best use of resources adjacent to industries in need of decarbonisation, reducing risk for community scale projects, and increasing thresholds for consenting requirements to better support projects at different scales. These insights aim to inform future leasing design and identify practical approaches to resolving deliverability constraints.”
Seal safety As a predictable and persistent source of renewable
power, unlocking the full potential of tidal stream energy will strengthen energy security and bolster economic growth, which is imperative for Scotland and the UK to deliver their long-term net zero ambitions. So with this in mind, the sector has also called for collaborative action to resolve consenting challenges around the potential for seal collision in the vicinity of projects. Home to some of the world’s strongest tides, the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters region is the epicentre of the UK’s tidal energy sector. More technologies have been demonstrated, and more tidal power produced from its seas, than anywhere else in the world. This unique setting offers a testbed for developing marine energy at meaningful scale, shaped by local knowledge and environmental context. However, commercial-scale project development is facing challenges in progressing responsibly given the complexity, uncertainty and long lead-times encountered with the current regulatory framework. Although extensive monitoring to date has found no evidence of seal-turbine collisions, a high level of precaution is still applied to the perceived risk – particularly in the context of ongoing harbour seal decline in the region. This highlights the need for science-led, proportionate approaches that uphold environmental protection while keeping pace with readiness for scaled deployment. Funded by Crown Estate Scotland and Highlands
and Islands Enterprise, the Tidal Industry Seal Project (TISP) report has been developed with input from leading organisations in tidal energy and environmental assessment. The consortium included Xodus Group Ltd, Carronside Consultancy Ltd, SAE Renewables Ltd, European Marine Energy Centre Ltd, Eurona Consultancy Ltd, Burges Salmon LLP, Orbital Marine Power Ltd, and Nova Innovation Ltd. And their report, Called Managing the Consenting Risk of Harbour Seal Collision in the Scottish Tidal Energy Industry sets out key recommendations to underpin
www.waterpowermagazine.com | September 2025 | 35
robust consenting to enable the growth of tidal stream energy in Scotland while addressing environmental concerns – particularly the potential impact on harbour seals. The tidal energy industry has formed a regional developer group and says it is committed to working together with regulators and research institutions to strengthen the evidence base on the seal collision risk with tidal turbines and increase the reliability and accuracy of impact assessments. This could involve the development of effective mitigations, better use of existing evidence, exploring opportunities to enhance the environment and trialling new monitoring technologies. “We recognise that for the tidal energy to grow, a
collaborative effort is required to better understand whether the potential for seals to collide with turbines is an issue,” Donald Leaver, Environment and Consents Manager at EMEC says. “Pioneering projects led by MeyGen, Nova Innovation and Orbital Marine Power have investigated this over several years and, so far, haven’t seen any evidence of seal-turbine collisions. “With various new projects in the Pentland Firth and
Orkney Waters due to be built out over the coming decade, supporting Scottish and UK government policy ambitions for energy security and climate
Above: Panoramic aerial view of the Strait of Messina, between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western tip of Calabria in the south of Italy
Below: Messina strait between Sicily and Calabria. An energy assessment of a tidal power plant located in the strait of Messina was undertaken by the university of Palermo in Italy.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j. nexus.2025.100464
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