There were a couple of significant announcements relating to the Sound of Islay tidal energy project today.
To put this in context, a quick summary of the background:
The Sound of Islay project is being developed by ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) with local support from the Islay Energy Trust. The proposal is to put ten 1MW tidal turbines in the Sound of Islay, just south of Port Askaig. The devices sit on the seabed and are fully submerged (they are about 30 metres to the blade tip and will be placed in 50 metres of water.)
SPR submitted an application at the end of July for consent to Marine Scotland (part of the Scottish Government.) In parallel with this, preparations are underway to place a single 1MW turbine at the EMEC test site in Orkney. If consent is given and the tests at EMEC go well then the ten devices for the Sound of Islay would be manufactured in 2012 and installed in 2013.
So back to today’s announcements:
Firstly, it was announced that BiFab (Burntisland Fabrications) will build the device to be deployed at the EMEC test site in Orkney in summer 2011 at their site in Arnish, Lewis. This is the largest part of an order worth four million pounds and it is significant that a Scottish firm has proved capable of winning the contract and demonstrates that the marine renewables industry can make a significant contribution to the Scottish economy.
Secondly, Hammerfest Strom, the developer of the HS1000 tidal device, has completed a significant new round of funding that includes investment from Andritz Hydro. This secures the funding for the Orkney development and provides additional technical experience to Hammerfest Strom.
Finally, SPR has announced it it entering its Pentland Firth site at the Ness of Duncansby into the £10 million Saltire Prize for marine energy innovation. This shows its commitment to tidal technology and is a reminder of the next scale of development (95MW) that will follow the Sound of Islay installation.
Overall, this is excellent news and shows that the project is fast becoming a reality!
