MeyGen will use the funding to design, procure, install, connect and commission the subsea hub
MeyGen secures funding from Scottish Government. (Credit: Pixabay/Dimitris Vetsikas.)
Simec Atlantis Energy announced that it MeyGen has secured £1.5m from the Scottish government for the development of a subsea tidal turbine connection hub for the next phase of development of the MeyGen tidal power array.
MeyGen will use the funding to design, procure, install, connect and commission the subsea hub and associated subsea connection infrastructure.
The connection infrastructure is touted to be an important enabler for future array phases, as it can reduce cost of power production by connecting multiple turbines to a single export cable.
The technology will use a design of Atlantis turbine wet mate connection system, which provides rapid and automatic connection and disconnection of power and communication infrastructure offshore without any intervention.
The subsea hub project has received grant from the government’s Saltire Tidal Energy Fund, a £10m fund to support the commercial deployment of tidal energy generation in Scottish waters.
SIMEC Atlantis Energy stated: “This grant award will prove the application and benefits of subsea hub for the global tidal power industry. Once proven, the hub will be made available to project developers to help to achieve cost-competitive commercial deployment across the sector.”
Atlantis to deliver subsea hub
With the the government’s grant, Atlantis will be awarded a £2.4m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to delivery and install the subsea hub by its project company MeyGen at the site in the Pentland Firth, Scotland.
The subsea hub, which is expected to be assembled and tested in Scotland, will be installed later this year.
SIMEC Atlantis Energy is a developer and operator of sustainable energy projects. Currently, it holds 77% stake in the world’s largest tidal stream power project, MeyGen, and 100% ownership of the 220MW Uskmouth power station conversion project.