Shetland tidal array reaches milestone with first power exported to grid

A £3.75 million tidal energy project in the Shetland Islands has moved a step closer to completion this week as it begins exporting power to the grid.

The developers of the project, Nova Innovation and ELSA, have been testing a 100 kW turbine – the first of three to be built – through the winter, and more turbines in the pipline of the next phases of the project.

Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing welcome the announcement and congratulated the project developers for “successfully producing grid-connected power”.

Scottish Renewables senior policy manager Lindsay Roberts said: “Nova Innovation’s success in Shetland shows not only that Scotland’s marine energy industry is one of the most technologically advanced in the world, but that the resource available off our shores is deserving of the tireless research which has been carried out over many decades to capture the power of the sea.”

Nova Innovation managing director Simon Forrest said: “This milestone represents a huge achievement, and the culmination of a tremendous amount of work from our team in Scotland and Belgium. I would especially like to thank Scottish Enterprise and ELSA for their support and advice which has enabled us to build such a strong, pan-European project rooted in Scotland.

“Tidal energy has the potential to provide nearly 8 per cent of European electricity demand. This milestone is an important step towards achieving this goal.”

The news comes after the Prime Minister casted doubt on the future of tidal power when he expressed concerns over the cost of a strike price for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project. The government is also preparing to review the position of tidal power in the UK’s future energy mix in Spring 2016.