UK energy minister Lord Hunt paid a visit to Strangford Lough and uttered that immortal line...
"I have seen the future and it works."
The Minister was referring to the marine turbine at the mouth of the Lough that sucks energy from the sea.
Seagen has been working now for over 1000 hours proving it can stand the test of time and tide.
Lord Hunt wants to see the success of the turbine copied elsewhere.
He believes that marine energy around the UK can generate enough power for 15 million homes.
But there's an important question here.
The technology works but can it be made to pay.
Proving that tidal current turbines are commercially viable will take some time and more experimentation.
If that work happens in Northern Ireland, it's more likely to occur off Torr Head.
The power of the tide in the North Channel is enormous.
Its potential is being examined by Seagen's owners Marine Current Turbines and a Norwegian company.
One imagines there'll be something of a race to see who can exploit the force of the tide first
Incidentally the line I have seen the future and it works was devised by American reporter Lincoln Steffens after a visit to the Soviet Union a few years after the October Revolution.
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