QED Naval has awarded a contract to an engineering company Cimpina to build the Subhub tidal platform.
The Edinburgh-based naval consultancy, QED Naval, informed the work on the Subhub platform began in November, after the build contract was awarded to Cimpina following a selection process that involved six different fabricators.
The Subhub platform, whose construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2017, will be equipped with Schottel tidal turbines, with a total capacity of 200kW.
It will be launched and transported to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) to undergo long term testing, as part of the FORESEA project , with the aim of demonstrating Subhub’s installation and retrieval capabilities.
The Subhub tidal foundations platform is designed to commission, test, transport, install, and secure a mini array of wave and tidal turbines to the seabed.
The performance of the Subhub and turbines will be monitored, while the long term operations and maintenance strategy will be developed to validate the OPEX cost model and hence the LCOE for a Subhub related project, QED Naval said.