Just days after ministers refused permission for a giant wind farm on the island of Lewis, an application has been received for a major new wave power station on the west of the island.
The pilot project would be capable of generating enough electricity to power 1500 homes on Lewis and Harris.
It would be sited close to the communities which would have been nearest to the 181 giant turbines which made up the proposed Barvas Moor wind farm - the very communities which were most opposed to the development. However, all are now backing the wave power development.
The Siadar Wave Energy Project (SWEP) is a collaboration between the company npower renewables and Inverness-based technology company Wavegen.
The scheme would harness power from the Atlantic waves in Siadar Bay to generate up to four megawatts of electricity.
If plans are given the go- ahead by the Scottish Government, building work could start as early as 2009.
The project could generate up to 50 construction jobs and would take around 18 months to complete.
Iain Macleod, a crofter at Siadar who was one of the most outspoken opponents of the wind farm, explained how this wave station had grown out of local efforts, "This started as a community project. We were looking for ways to improve the old slipway on the shore where we used to launch boats," he said.
"Out of that we managed to get a feasibility study done by a consultant. It started about three years ago and has been quietly working its way through the system. There have been no objections anywhere in the community."
The scheme will involve putting a causeway out about 200 metres, and building a breakwater which will consist of about 10 concrete caissons placed together on the seabed, each of about 25 metres in length.
The caissons will weigh approximately 3000 tonnes each. There would be 36 to 40 turbines in the caissons to generate electricity.
The community plans that the project's onshore building will be a tourist attraction, with interpretation boards and a viewing platform.
Shelter provided by the breakwater will help facilitate sea users entering the sea at Siadar Bay for fishing and recreation.
Bill Langley, marine development manager for npower renewables, said: "We believe this is a new chapter in the UK's search for a sustainable future.
"We remain convinced that the SWEP could be the gateway to harnessing the best wave resource in the UK This pilot scheme could be the stepping stone to realising large-scale wave energy projects around the UK and worldwide."
Matthew Seed, the chief executive officer of Wavegen said: "We look forward to demonstrating the commercial viability of wave energy.
"This project builds on the reliable technology proven at the Limpet plant on Islay."
The SWEP would be the first project to operate under the Scottish Government's Marine Supply Obligation (MSO), put in place to promote the development of first generation marine energy power stations.
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