Marine Current Turbines

Plans by Marine Current Turbines and its project partner RWE npower renewables to install and operate Wales’s first-ever tidal energy farm have moved a step closer with the granting of an Agreement for Lease by The Crown Estate for the Skerries Tidal Stream Array, which is proposed for the waters off the coast of Anglesey, north Wales.

The proposed tidal energy scheme consists of up to 9 turbines in an area between the Skerries group of rocks and islands and Carmel Head about 1Km off the Anglesey coast. The 10MW scheme, which has benefited from funding from the Welsh European Funding Office, will be capable of generating enough power to supply electricity to up to 10,000 homes – approximately 20% of Anglesey’s electricity demand.

The Crown Estate will issue the project a lease, a necessary pre-condition for any offshore sea-bed installation in UK waters, once the required environmental consents for the project have been granted by the Welsh Government. The consents application was submitted to the Welsh Government in March 2011 and a decision is expected within the next few months. Marine Current Turbines is now ramping up its efforts to raise the finance to build the tidal array. The estimated project cost is £70million.

Dr Andrew Tyler, Chief Executive of Marine Current Turbines (MCT) said: “With our proven SeaGen tidal technology and the necessary permits starting to fall into place, we are a good way along the path to deploy Wales’ first-ever tidal farm, and quite possibly the first tidal farm anywhere in UK waters. A critical element remains the financing of the Skerries project but I am confident that investment will be forthcoming given the valuable support to date by RWE and the strong interest in marine energy being shown by other utilities and energy companies. Our efforts are also helped by the UK Government’s declared ambitions to harness the energy in our coastal waters and to build a new clean-tech industry in this country.”

The Skerries Tidal Stream Array will use MCT’s proven and award-winning tidal energy technology known as SeaGen (which is essentially an underwater windmill) and will be able to contribute towards Anglesey’s vision to establish itself as a world renowned centre of excellence for demonstrating, producing and servicing low carbon energy as part of the Energy Island Programme.

Paul Catterall, RWE npower renewables' Marine Technologies Manager, said: "We're delighted that Marine Current Turbines has been able to take this crucial step towards bringing tidal energy technology closer to operation in Wales. Tidal stream energy generation remains an exciting future opportunity for low carbon energy generation, and we're delighted to be part of the work being undertaken by MCT, the world's leading tidal technology developer."

Subject to securing planning and financing for the project, MCT and RWE npower renewables are targeting 2014/2015 for the start of commissioning.

A consents application for the tidal array was submitted to the Welsh Government after extensive environmental and technical studies and consultation with a range of interests, including Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Mon County Council, the Countryside Council for Wales, RSPB, Trinity House, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences.
In addition, MCT and RWE npower hosted a public exhibition in Holyhead (August 2010) and have spoken with a number of recreational groups that use the area including sailing, kayaking, diving and fishing groups. To date, the proposed scheme has been widely welcomed.

The Skerries tidal array is being taken forward by MCT and RWE npower renewables via a project development company set up specifically: SeaGeneration (Wales) Ltd.

To secure an Agreement for Lease, MCT and RWE npower had to provide assurance to The Crown Estate on a number of different aspects of the project, including its technical viability.
For further information and images of SeaGen:

Marine Current Turbines (www.marineturbines.com)
David Ainsworth/Joseph Kidd
Tel: 0117 979 1888
or
Paul Taylor/Bethan Halls (Taylor Keogh Communications)
Tel: 020 3170 8465 / paul@taylorkeogh.com

RWE npower renewables
Mark Fleming
Tel: 01793 474173 / mark.fleming@rwe.com

About Marine Current Turbines:

1. Marine Current Turbines (www.marineturbines.com) is based in Bristol, England. Founded in 2000, MCT has led the market in developing and patenting tidal current stream energy devices building on Peter Fraenkel’s (MCT’s co-founder and Technical Director) pioneering innovation dating back to the 1970s. The company’s principal corporate shareholders include BankInvest, Carbon Trust Investments, EDF Energy, ESB International, Guernsey Electricity, High Tide and Siemens Energy.

2. The company is taking forward a number of tidal projects in UK and overseas waters. As well as the Skerries tidal project, MCT is developing an 8MW tidal farm in Kyle Rhea (Scotland’s Isle of Skye) and is working with Minas Basin Pulp & Power to deploy a single SeaGen tidal system in Canada’s Bay of Fundy. In addition, MCT has an approval for a lease from The Crown Estate to deploy a 100MW tidal farm off Brough Ness, on the southern most tip of the Orkney Islands.

3. MCT has a won a number of awards for its work. In 2009 it was ranked the world’s top tidal energy company in The Guardian/Clean Tech Global 100 Survey and won Renewable Energy Developer of the Year in the UK Renewable Energy Association Annual Awards. In 2010, MCT was awarded the prize for “Tidal Energy Competitiveness 2010” at the 1st International Tidal Energy Summit and the company also won a Sustainable Ireland Award for the success of SeaGen.

4. MCT’s 1.2MW SeaGen was deployed in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough in 2008; it has the capacity to generate power for the equivalent of about 1500 homes and so far has generated over 3,000 MW/h onto the grid. SeaGen works in principle much like an “underwater windmill” with the rotors driven by the power of the tidal currents rather than the wind.

About RWE npower renewables:

1. RWE npower renewables is the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy and is one of the UK's leading renewable energy developers and operators, committed to developing and operating wind farms and hydro plant to produce sustainable electricity. The company operates 17 hydroelectric power projects and 23 wind farms in the UK, including the country's first major offshore wind farm, North Hoyle. RWE npower renewables is also working with marine energy technology partners to deliver new wave and tidal stream power projects in the UK. Through our existing projects and those in development, we are working in close partnership with communities and companies throughout the UK. As Government policy focuses on achieving its EU commitment for 15% of UK energy to come from renewables sources by 2020, renewable electricity generation will need to increase to 30% of total output. We will be at the forefront of realising this aim.

2. In Wales, the company operates six hydroelectric power projects in North Wales, two offshore wind farms – North Hoyle, the UK's first major offshore wind farm, and Rhyl Flats, the largest renewables project in Wales, both off the North Wales coast. It also operates seven onshore wind farms from Neath in South Wales to Anglesey in the north.

3.RWE Innogy pools the renewable energy expertise and generating plant of the RWE Group. The company plans, builds and operates renewable power generation facilities, and aims to vigorously grow its renewable energy capacity in the UK and Continental Europe.

4. RWE npower renewables is a sister company to RWE npower, a leading integrated UK energy company with around 6.8 million customer accounts. RWE npower also owns and operates a flexible portfolio of conventional power stations as well as a portfolio of cogeneration plant producing more than 10% of the electricity used in England and Wales.

5. RWE is a major employer in Wales, operating three renewables office bases in South, Mid and North Wales, the Aberthaw Power Station and two Combined Heat and Power plants at Barry and Bridgend. In all, RWE's installed conventional and renewable energy generation in Wales supplies the equivalent of around one-third of Wales' electricity needs.

6. For further information about RWE npower renewables and RWE Innogy visit www.npower-renewables.com and www.rweinnogy.com For further information about RWE npower visit www.rwenpower.com

Image Source (Creative Commons): http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalassemblyforwales/3678644642/