THE Pentland Firth is poised to become the first marine energy park in Scotland, it has emerged.

Energy minister Greg Barker has asked Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso to host a meeting of the Marine Energy Programme Board in the county this summer, at which the minister hopes to be in a position to deliver ‘some good news’ in relation to the Pentland Firth.

It comes after the announcement that the first UK marine energy park has been established off the coast of south-west England.

John Thurso said the future vision of the Pentland Firth has taken one step closer. “I have been working on this for a year as the most obvious place in the whole of Europe for a marine energy park is in the Pentland Firth,” he said.

Local marine renewable companies have been calling for enterprise zones and marine energy park status to help attract inward investment to the area and it would be a huge boost for industry on both sides of the firth.