Tidal array project in Scotland gets EC blessing for next stage of work

The Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal (EnFAIT) project in Scotland, led by Nova Innovation Ltd, has secured the go-ahead from the European Commission (EC) to move into the next stage of work.

The EUR-20-million (USD 23.2m) project, which in 2017 secured EUR 14.9 million in funds under the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, will add three turbines to Nova's existing tidal power array in Bluemull Sound off the Shetland Islands. The layout of the turbines will be adjusted to allow array interactions and optimisation to be studied for the first time at an operating tidal energy site. The nine EnFAIT project partners, including industrial, academic and research organisations from the UK, Germany, France and Belgium, aim to demonstrate that high array reliability and availability can be achieved with best practice maintenance regimes.

“Working with our partners, we’ve made significant progress in Year 1 in putting in place the project’s operational and technical foundations, and we are extremely excited to be moving into the next stages, in which we’ll focus on scaling up and optimising the array configuration,” said Simon Forrest, CEO of Nova.

The project started in July 2017 and will run to June 2022. The list of activities completed in the first year of the project includes the re-instrumentation of the existing three turbines to gather improved performance data, tidal resource monitoring to build up a detailed understanding of the array site and its characteristics, securing site consents and permits for the planned three-turbine expansion, and development and verification of the turbine and subsea connection designs.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.16)

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