Atlantis Resources said it decided to hand back the AFLs after an internal project portfolio and site assessment review. The company will now prioritise other sites that are currently under construction and/or closer to reaching financial close.

Tim Cornelius, cheif executive of Atlantis, said: “This strategy will enable us to focus our resources on our most developed sites in order to drive progress and deliver continuous, clean, and predictable supplies of energy, quickly and at scale, to power homes and business throughout the UK and contribute towards the UK’s energy infrastructure needs.

“Due to the abundance of natural resource and a supportive government, Wales remains a jurisdiction of high interest to Atlantis and we will continue to actively seek out commercially and financially viable project development and investment opportunities and would welcome commercial approaches from any developer with commercial scale project locations in Wales.”

Survey work and data from both project sites will be made publicly available through The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange.

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For the first time, housing associations will be able to apply for loans from the government’s Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland (HEEPS) Loan Scheme. Until now, the scheme has been open only to owner-occupiers and private landlords.

The cash will help meet the cost of installing energy efficiency measures, like internal or external wall insulation or hard to treat cavity walls.

Individual households or private sector landlords looking for a loan should call 0808 808 2282, or visit www.homeenergyscotland.org For information on the registered social landlords loan scheme, visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/heeps-loan-for-RSLs

Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said: “For the first time the HEEPS loans scheme will be open to housing associations. This will help ensure their homes meet the higher standards for energy efficiency that have been set by the Scottish Government. Last year more than £8 million was saved in fuel bills thanks to the HEEPS scheme, covering 30,000 households.”

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