SME deploys subsea rock anchors for tidal project at EMEC

Sustainable Marine Energy Ltd (SME) has completed the installation at its European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) berth of four subsea drilled rock anchors that will moor its PLAT-O tidal energy system.

The company used an Anchoring Remotely Operated Vehicle (AROV) developed in-house to carry out the installation process. Marine activities were performed from Leask Marine’s multicat C-Salvor.

SME said that the anchors are 3.5-metre long and have a nominal holding capacity of 100 tonnes, depending on the type of the rock. The company is currently developing anchors with greater holding capacity, it added.

“We will be offering these to the marine industry as a whole. Whilst we will be busy deploying anchors for our own projects, we have also had a number of enquiries from a range of companies who are looking to benefit from our innovative technology,” said David Stoddart-Scott, head of project development. He expects that the company will undertake its first customer deployment for a wave energy developer later in 2016.

SME previously announced plans to install a roughly 1-MW tidal power array for testing at one of the EMEC sites in Orkney. Over the past two years it tested a PLAT-O prototype in the Solent, off the Isle of Wight.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!