MeyGen tidal project to be extended with two new turbines

Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) has confirmed plans to extend the MeyGen tidal array in Scotland by adding two brand new 2MW turbines.

The 6MW demonstration project in the Pentland Firth – a narrow channel separating the Orkney Islands from the Scottish mainland – currently consists of four 1.5MW turbines, including one of SAE’s AR1500 model.

Last month, the firm unveiled the design for a larger and more powerful 2MW version called the AR2000 and said it expected to deploy the new turbine as part of a future phase of the MeyGen scheme.

SAE has now said it intends to install two AR2000s at the site, increasing its overall output by around 40 per cent. The company is aiming to begin generating power in late 2019, subject to consents and funding.

The extension scheme, known as Project Stroma, will be supported by a €16.8 million grant awarded through the European Commission’s NER300 programme.

Tim Cornelius, chief executive of SAE, said: “Project Stroma will be an important enabler for the subsequent extension of the MeyGen site by a further 80MW, and ultimately to the full site capacity of 400MW.

“Nearby sites in the Pentland Firth offer significant further growth potential as part of the UK’s total potential of 8.5GW. Worldwide, tidal stream represents a 99GW development opportunity for clean, secure and predictable energy at a cost competitive with other forms of green energy.”

Meanwhile, SAE has also formed a joint venture with the Development Agency for Normandy with the eventual aim of building up to 2GW of tidal turbines in the Alderney Race – an eight-mile strait between the island of Alderney and the French coast – starting in 2021.

SAE was formerly known as Atlantis Resources but was renamed after the company acquired Simec Uskmouth Power in June.