Tidal power firm Atlantis Resources has signed a five-year collaboration agreement with a subsea cabling business.

JDR Cable Systems has its registered office in Edinburgh along with five other sites around the UK as well as premises in Germany, the United States, Brazil, Thailand and Singapore

The companies plan to look at ways to store, install, monitor, connection, test and decommission offshore cables.

As well as that they want to set standards for areas such as health and safety, quality and environmental performance.

Part of that will involve looking at setting up a subsea cable research and development facility in Scotland.

That would initially look to service and work on the Atlantis tidal power projects around the coast.

Those are the flagship MeyGen scheme in the Pentland Firth as well as smaller developments at Brough Ness, Mull of Galloway and Kyle Rhea.

The first turbines at MeyGen are due to be installed next year with JDR working to provide the subsea cabling for that phase.

A spokeswoman for Atlantis said it was too early to say how many jobs may be created by the proposed cable facility.

AIM-listed Atlantis is also planning a turbine assembly facility and maintenance facility at the Nigg yard on the Cromarty Firth.

Tim Cornelius, chief executive of Atlantis, said: “I am delighted to have entered this collaboration agreement with JDR.

“By working with JDR we hope to benefit from optimum cable design, ensuring that the cable supply chain is established and achieving a reduction in costs for the entire tidal industry.”

Mr Cornelius believes the formal partnership will have a “positive impact” on all future Atlantis projects.

David Currie, chief executive of JDR, said: “Our execution efforts around the MeyGen project have been to deliver a successful campaign and project for Atlantis while ensuring the highest standards of subsea power cabling in terms of [health and safety], quality and innovation.

“I am excited to support the collaboration of the JDR and Atlantis teams in our endeavours to focus on cost reduction and reliability of cable development for this important sector of offshore energy.”

JDR had turnover of £81.15m in 2014 with operating profit of £291,000.

In recent months Atlantis has announced plans to move its headquarters from Singapore to Edinburgh and signed an agreement with Macquarie Capital Europe to help bring in more long-term investors.

The MeyGen project has already raised more than £60m of funding.

Thousands of tonnes of steel have been put in place to weigh down the foundations for the underwater turbines