Scotland's tidal stream energy sector has crossed the one-gigawatt installed capacity threshold, according to figures released by Scottish Renewables this week. The milestone makes Scotland the undisputed world leader in commercially operational tidal power.
The bulk of the capacity is concentrated in the Pentland Firth, the strait between mainland Scotland and Orkney, where tidal currents regularly exceed 5 meters per second — among the fastest in the world. MeyGen, Orbital Marine Power, and Simec Atlantis Energy operate the majority of the installed turbines.
Unlike solar and wind power, tidal generation is entirely predictable centuries in advance based on lunar and solar gravitational cycles. Grid operators cite this predictability as a major advantage for planning, reducing the need for expensive battery storage backup.
The Scottish Government has announced a £2.1 billion expansion fund targeting 4 gigawatts of tidal capacity by 2032, which would make Scotland a net electricity exporter to England and potentially Norway via proposed new interconnectors.