MeyGen Ltd has just been granted approval by Fergus Ewing the Scottish Energy Minister, to commence the 86MW project, following the completion of the statutory approval process with the regulator Marine Scotland. This is considered a milestone for the joint venture company, with the development being the first phase of a possible 398MW capacity at the Orkney site.
Ewings was quoted saying:
"This is a major step forward for Scotland’s marine renewable energy industry. When fully operational, the 86 MW array could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 42,000 homes – around 40 per cent of homes in the Highlands."
MayGen will install the first six of its AR1000 turbines at the site shortly providing a ‘demonstration array’. The AR1000 is claimed to be the world’s most powerful single-rotor tidal device measuring in at 22.5m in height. It is hoped with the project running to plan, that by 2020 all 400 of the devices could be operational.Schematic Here
The project is located off the north coast of Caithness in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, home to one of Europe’s largest tidal resources.
Dan Pearson, CEO of MeyGen, added:
“the MeyGen team and its shareholders are thrilled to have reached this defining milestone. 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”.
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