Nova secures lease for tidal energy project off Wales

Scottish tidal energy firm Nova Innovation Ltd has won an Agreement for Lease from the Crown Estate that allows it to develop a tidal energy project at Bardsey Sound, off the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales.

The company has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with renewables organisation YnNi Llyn, establishing their partnership for the scheme. The newly-signed pact calls for YnNi Llyn to support Nova with the development of the project, and Nova to assist in the development of infrastructure that will enable local use of energy.

Now that they have the agreement for lease, the two partners can initiate site surveys and studies to inform the technical feasibility of the project, Nova said. It noted that assessing the feasibility and viability of the project could take one year. After this process, a marine licence application will be submitted to Marine Resources Wales. The regulator will then assess the application and make a decision within about a year.

The pair plans several public exhibitions and workshops at which key stakeholders and interested parties will be able to provide feedback on the plans.

Earlier this month, a Nova-led group won a flagship European tidal energy project, worth a total of EUR 20.2 million (USD 23m), in a competitive call by the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.146)

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