Scottish tidal power company Nova Innovation has extended its seabed lease at the Shetland tidal array in Bluemull Sound by 23 years and increasing the capacity of the site lease from 0.5MW to 2MW.
Two years ago the Shetland Tidal Array – the world’s first offshore tidal energy array – was delivered with over 80% supply-chain content from Scotland.
The extension of the Bluemull Sound Lease provides opportunities for further deployment of turbines as part of a larger array and creates the prospect of a longer-term operation in Shetland.
The next phase involves the installation of an additional three turbines by 2020, under the EnFAIT project – an EU tidal energy technology initiative which is led by Edinburgh-based Nova.
A Nova Innovation spokesman explained: “The experience and data we have gained from deploying and operating the turbines in the world’s first offshore tidal energy array are helping us to optimise our technology and processes.
“This lease extension paves the way for expanding the array, using the next generation of Nova turbines: further driving down the costs of this clean and predictable source of renewable energy.”
A Scottish Crown Estate spokesman also said that there has been a ‘significant up-turn’ in Scottish tidal energy projects in the past 12 months.
18 May 2018
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy