Tidal turbine pioneers join forces to grow industry

Atlantis Energy and Nova Innovation have joined forces to grow the tidal power industry and deploy turbines made by both companies at the MeyGen site in the Pentland Firth.

Atlantis has already deployed four turbines with a combined capacity of 6MW at MeyGen, making it the largest operational tidal turbine array in the world.

Nova installed the world’s first tidal turbine array in Shetland in 2016.

Atlantis has secured leasing rights from the Crown Estate to deploy almost 400MW of tidal generation at the MeyGen site in the Pentland Firth – the strait between the Orkney Islands and the Scottish mainland – and has received planning consent for a further 80MW on top of the 6MW it has already deployed.

The companies, which will now work together to build out the site, recently hosted a visit from SNP leader Ian Blackford MP to at Nova’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in Leith in Scotland.

Simon Forrest, chief executive of Nova Innovation, said: “We were delighted to welcome Ian and his Westminster team to discuss the huge opportunity that the tidal industry presents to Scotland and the UK.

“At Nova, we are doing all we can do deliver this, and our collaboration with Atlantis to develop the MeyGen site is a key milestone for us and the industry. In working together to develop the MeyGen site, we are cementing Scotland’s place as the world leader for tidal energy.”

Atlantis Energy chief executive Graham Reid said: “Collaboration is a core value at Atlantis Energy and our work with our partners has been key to delivering so many of the milestones for our company. I am delighted to be working with Simon and the Nova team to deliver on our clear commitment of deploying Scottish-built turbines from both Atlantis and Nova at the MeyGen site.”