The Crown Estate last week granted rights to the Inner Sound, between the Caithness mainland and the island of Stroma, to joint venture company MeyGen.
The firm intends to phase construction over the next decade and claims that the turbines could generate 400MW, enough to power 400,000 homes.
"We are committed to making tidal power a success not only for our shareholders but for Scotland as well," declared MeyGen chief executive Dan Pearson. The lease was retendered in March after the original preferred bidder pulled out.
