Work to begin on largest tidal energy project in Europe

Joint venture company MeyGen is to begin installation of the largest tidal energy project in Europe. The 86MW tidal energy project has just received the official greenlight from the Scottish Government.

The project is located in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth off the north coast of Caithness, home to one of Europe’s greatest tidal resources. It is the largest tidal stream energy project to be awarded consent in Europe and constitutes the first phase of a site that could eventually yield up to 398MW.

MeyGen plans to build an initial demonstration array of up to 6 turbines, with construction starting in early 2014 and turbines commissioned in 2015. This initial array will provide valuable environmental data for the subsequent phases and the wider tidal energy industry.

Ed Rollings, environment & consents manager of MeyGen, commented:  “The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters region is an internationally important area for wildlife and we are committed to continuing research with interested parties to ensure that the exploitation of this clean, predictable and sustainable energy resource is done so in a manner that does not have a detrimental effect on the species and habitats in the area.”

Dan Pearson, ceo of MeyGen, added: “While there is still much work to be done, the prospects for delivering the first tidal energy array in the Pentland Firth, thereby establishing a stepping stone to commercialising tidal energy, are promising”.

MeyGen is a joint venture between investment bank Morgan Stanley (45%), independent power generator International Power (45%) and tidal technology provider Atlantis Resources Corporation (10%)

Picture courtesy: © James Hearn | Dreamstime Stock Photos