Orbital wins option agreement for 30-MW tidal project in Orkney

The Crown Estate Scotland has awarded an option agreement to Orbital Marine Power Ltd for a 30-MW tidal stream energy project in the Westray Firth, the company announced on Wednesday.

The option agreement gives Orbital the chance to deploy 12 units of its 2-MW O2 floating tidal turbine across the project site, which is adjacent to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). It is estimated that this development will lead to an investment of more than GBP 120 million (USD 147m/EUR 136m) in a domestic supply chain.

Orbital already has a grid connection in place for the new project and its team is currently engaging with stakeholders and progressing environmental studies. It hopes to reach a consent application as soon as possible.

Orkney-based Orbital noted that local renewable energy projects are reaping the benefits of a recent announcement by energy regulator Ofgem, which provisionally approved long-awaited plans by SSEN Transmission to establish a 220-MW subsea electricity transmission link to Orkney.

“Progress with Orbital’s Westray project is a vote of confidence in the potential here in the isles and demonstrates exactly why expanding grid capacity for Orkney has been so important,” Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, commented and added: “This good news is also evidence of the need for a more robust strategy from the government on tidal stream deployment, including continued and expanded backing in the next round of Contracts for Difference funding. We need to continue to ramp up development in the years to come.”

(GBP 1.0 = USD 1.223/EUR 1.134)

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