Councils, such as Northumberland, which has three schools in the first wave of the programme, have been warned by the EFA that the lack of private finance has resulted in the later start date - still to be set.
The scheme is part of efforts to develop the Pentland Firth and waters surrounding the Orkney Islands in the largest planned wave and tidal generating programme in the world.
Politicians also criticised his decision to switch Yesterday in Parliament to long wave, and shorten the news and current affairs programme The World at One.