The array, consisting of seven twin rotor turbines arranged across an area of 0.56 square kilometres, will harness the power of fast moving and predictable tides off the island of Anglesey to generate enough power for over 10,000 homes on the island. It will be the first tidal array to be deployed in Wales.
The tidal farm situated between the Skerries islands and Carmel Head (about a kilometre off the Anglesey coast) will be fitted out with MCT’s award-winning tidal energy technology known as SeaGen, which works in principle like an underwater windmill. A 1.2-MW SeaGen unit has been successfully operated in Strangford Narrows (Northern Ireland) since 2008.
If the planning consent is granted to SeaGeneration Wales Ltd, the MCT/RWE npower renewables project company, it will be the first tidal array in Wales demonstrating the commercial viability of this technology. “This project will help to demonstrate that the deployment of tidal generation can be recognised as a viable means of securing renewable generation, lower carbon emissions whilst simultaneously creating a new industry and many jobs,” says MCT.
The project will cost approximately £70 million to develop and, where possible, local businesses will be contracted for the assembly, installation, operation and maintenance of the tidal array. It will generate jobs that use skills ranging from advanced blacksmithing through to sophisticated control systems management. It will also stimulate the supply chain to support the emerging marine renewable energy sector in the UK and Wales.
“Tidal power is a predictable and reliable source of renewable energy and our technology can play an important part in helping Wales realise its renewable energy targets as set out in the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) Energy Policy statement. It aims to capture 10% of the tidal stream and wave energy off the Welsh coast by 2025, making Wales a UK low carbon economic area for tidal energy. The proposed project would represent a significant step in meeting both of these targets and furthermore, will see the creation of many new green jobs,” commented Martin Wright, CEO and Founder of MCT.
MCT has undertaken a series of environmental and technical studies and consulted a range of local residents as well as local and national organisations, including: RSBP, Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in order to consider the impact of the project over its operational lifespan, about 25 years.
First and only in UK
MCT report that SeaGen has been accredited by OFGEM as the first and only tidal current power plant, and as a UK power station and so is a recipient of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs).
This week, MCT has also announced that SeaGen has also achieved and passed the UK Government’s operating performance criteria for the UK’s emerging tidal and wave energy technologies. It is the first-ever tidal or wave energy device to have passed this milestone, set by the Department of Energy & Climate Change to qualify for its Marine Renewables Deployment Fund (MRDF).
By passing this milestone, independently assessed by AEA Technology on behalf of DECC, Marine Current Turbines (MCT) expects that funding support for the company’s first demonstrator tidal array will be forthcoming from the Government’s Low Carbon Innovation Fund or an equivalent government clean-tech funding stream, now that the £42m MRDF is to be abolished.
“Once again, MCT has set an industry benchmark,” said Martin Wright. “We are showing that tidal current energy has a contribution to make to the UK’s future energy mix, and importantly laying the foundations for the development of a sizeable marine energy industry in this country: an ambition which is on the UK Government’s green growth agenda. Within the next two years, we plan to have a range of tidal technologies for deployment in various depths of water and in different geographical locations so we can meet the needs of our customers in the UK and overseas.”
Stephen Wyatt from the Carbon Trust said: “We are delighted that MCT, a British company, has passed this important milestone. Support from the Carbon Trust has been critical in the company’s development to date. The marine sector has great prospects to deliver secure energy, new jobs and generate British exports as the technology and industry matures.”
MCT has plans to deploy four tidal farms in UK waters by the end of the decade as well as deploy its SeaGen technology in Canada’s Bay of Fundy (Nova Scotia) in conjunction with Minas Basin Pulp & Power.
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