Crucial phase of Oyster installation completed at EMEC
Oyster, the UK’s first nearshore wave energy converter, moved another step closer to generating clean, green energy with today’s announcement that Aquamarine Power has just completed the crucial first phase of its deployment
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at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) at Billia Croo in Orkney.
In a carefully planned operation, the 194-tonne full scale device was lowered onto its seabed subframe and bolted in place.
The next step will be to connect the Oyster to sub-sea pipelines which will deliver high pressure fresh water to an onshore turbine ahead of grid connection and sea trials later this year.
Oyster is designed to capture the energy found in nearshore waves up to depths of 10 to 12 metres. A commercial farm of just 20 devices (10MW) could provide clean renewable energy to a town of 6,500 homes.
The benefit of Oyster is its simplicity. There are minimal moving parts and all electrical components are onshore, making it robust enough to withstand the rigours of Scotland’s harsh seas.
Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power, commented:
“Getting Oyster into the water and connected to the seabed was always going to be the most difficult step and its completion is a real credit to everyone who has worked hard on planning and executing this major engineering feat on schedule and without any complications.
“No one has deployed a nearshore wave device before so we had to plan every detail of the operation. We have a fantastic and experienced offshore team at Aquamarine Power but we could not have done this on our own, in total we have about 15 different companies working on this project, together with our main contractor Fugro Seacore. They have all done a great job.
“Completion of this milestone is a giant leap for the company and for the marine energy industry in general. There will obviously be challenges ahead but we are now working on connecting the device to the grid ahead of offshore testing.
“Generating electricity, however, will be the ultimate test, and we are confident we will deliver power to the national grid by the end of the year.”
For further information, contact:
Buchanan Communications
Diane Stewart 0131 226 6150
dianes@buchanan.uk.com
Carrie Clement 0131 226 4427
Or visit www.aquamarinepower.com
