1 February 2009
UK: Fledgling tidal industry on the rise
The UK has some of the world's most powerful tidal conditions but only now is the tidal industry starting to make progress
It is easy to regard tidal power as one of the poor relations in the race to meet global renewable energy targets. Wind and solar are already up and running commercially, while wave power is the most advanced of the marine technologies. But a series of prototype tidal projects are making progress in the UK. The country offers some of the world's most powerful tidal conditions, in areas such as the estuary of the River Severn in England and the Pentland Firth in Scotland. Estimates of the country's tidal-power potential range from 5 gigawatts (GW) to 15 GW. UK firm Marine Current Turbines (MCT) said in January that its £12m ($17.4m) SeaGen prototype project, operating at Strangford Lough in N
Also in this section
28 November 2025
The launch of the bloc’s emissions trading system in 2005 was a pioneering step, but as the scheme hits 21 its impact as a driver of decarbonisation is still open to debate
18 November 2025
Vicki Hollub, president and CEO of Occidental, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Dewhurst Award, the highest honour bestowed by WPC Energy. The Dewhurst Award celebrates exceptional leadership, groundbreaking innovation and a lifetime of significant achievements in sup-port of the development and advancement of the energy industry.
11 November 2025
Transition policies must recognise that significant industrial demand for carbon will continue even as economies hit net zero
6 November 2025
After years of pursuing ideologically driven climate leadership, Western powers are now stepping back under mounting political pressure and rising populist opposition—prompting concern essential climate action could be sidelined
