Isra-Mart srl:MCT and RWE edge first Welsh tidal array towards the water

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Isra-Mart srl news:

Plans to develop Wales's first tidal energy array took a major step forward yesterday after developers filed for planning consent to install the £70m project off the coast of Anglesey.

SeaGen Wales, a partnership between Bristol-based Marine Current Turbines (MCT) and RWE npower renewables, yesterday announced it had applied for consent to the Welsh Assembly Government to install seven of MCT's SeaGen twin rotor turbines in 2015.

If approved, the machines would generate enough power to supply electricity to up to 10,000 homes.

The array is earmarked for a 0.56km² area between the Skerries islands and Carmel Head, about 1km off the Anglesey coast.

MCT also announced yesterday that it expects to receive clean-tech funding from the government after SeaGen passed the operating performance criteria set by the government to qualify for the soon-to-be-scrapped Marine Renewables Deployment Fund (MRDF).

"By passing this milestone [MCT] expects that funding support for the company's first demonstrator tidal array will be forthcoming from the government's Low Carbon Innovation Fund or an equivalent government clean-tech funding stream, now that the £42m MRDF is to be abolished," it said in a statement.

MCT says SeaGen is similar to an underwater windmill, with the rotors driven by the power of the tidal currents rather than the wind.

An initial device was deployed in Strangford Narrows, Northern Ireland in 2008, and it is officially accredited by energy regulator Ofgem to receive Renewable Obligation Certificates for the energy it generates.

Martin Wright, chief executive and founder of MCT, said the new project would help the Welsh Assembly Government achieve its goal of harnessing 10 per cent of its marine energy resource by 2025.

The Marine Renewable Energy Strategic Framework report published last week found environmental and technological constraints could significantly limit Wales's ability to meet its marine energy targets. However, MCT said it has already undertaken a series of environmental and technical studies and consulted a range of local residents as well as local and national organisations, to consider the impact of the project over its 25 years operational lifespan.