Dec 8 2010
Marine Current Turbines (MCT) has announced a plan of installing the first large scale tidal energy farm with an investment of £35 million. The designing, manufacture and construction of the four SeaGen turbines would be subcontracted to companies in Scotland.
This farm is expected to enhance the companies working in the industry. The tidal farm is to be located at Kyle Rhea, which is a Strait of water found between the Scottish Mainland and the Isle of Skye, and is expected to power approximately 4,000 houses. MCT has already designed and established the world’s premier commercial scale tidal stream energy unit offshore in Strangford Lough, in Northern Ireland, which has provided around £4 million for the local economy from 2008 onwards and MCT expects that the Scottish Project would do much more.
According to MCT’s Project Manger, David Ainsworth, the valuable experience gained while developing the Strangford Lough Project had been very beneficial for the development of plans for the new project in Kyle Rhea, and it would also reassure people in the community about the technology’s impacts on the environment. He also revealed that the company was planning to organize an exhibition in Glenelg prior to the finalizing of the planning application to offer the local people an opportunity to gain knowledge about the project and its benefits. This would take place if a lease agreement is secured from The Crown Estate, approval is obtained from Marine Scotland and the necessary finance is secured for the project.
MCT’s future plans include a gigantic tidal energy farm in the Pentland Firth Area, which would mean installation of 66 SeaGen tidal units and would need an investment of more than £500 million. This project’s first phase is expected to produce 99MW power by 2020. MCT hopes to utilize Scotland’s expertise in oil and gas technology for its upcoming renewable energy projects. Burtisland Fabrications (BiFab) having manufactured the anchoring device for the Northern Ireland’s SeaGen unit is all set for obtaining other contracts from MCT. BiFab had declared that it had won a £4 million contract for manufacturing the Oyester Wave energy device for Aquamarine Power in its Methil manufacturing facility in Fife. This device would be installed in 2011 at the European Marine Energy Center, located near Stromness in Orkney.
According to Jim Mather, the Scottish Energy Minister, this initiative demonstrates how the Scottish seas’ matchless potential could be harnessed and exploited for the generation of clean renewable energy leading to a low carbon footprint in Scotland. He further commented that this project would also create new jobs and help the local economy.
Source: http://www.marineturbines.com