MeyGen tidal energy project has been nominated for this year’s Structural Awards which celebrate the world’s most outstanding structural engineering achievements.
MeyGen has been shortlisted in two categories of The Structural Awards 2017, being organized and hosted by the Institution of Structural Engineers, for its achievements during the Phase 1A .
The fist category featuring MeyGen as finalist is that of Structures in Extreme Conditions for the project’s Turbine Support Structures (TSS), designed by Robert Bird Group.
This category awards excellence in the design of structures subject to extreme actions, including marine and offshore structures.
Sitting in 30-50 m of exposed fast flowing turbulent waters where the Atlantic meets the North Sea, the steel tripod gravity foundations have been designed from first principles to enable year-round turbine operation over a 25-year life with no maintenance, the awards website states.
The project was also nominated in the Sustainability category, which recognizes projects demonstrating outstanding commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment in the structural design, selected by the judges from all the entries.
“The judges were impressed by the elegance of these prototype tidal turbines enabling this future tidal farm and the technology to be further developed. A minimalist, low-profile support structure with articulated feet not only satisfies the extreme challenges but also does so efficiently. The solution also minimizes the use of material, construction costs and environmental impact on the seabed,” said the judges for The Structural Awards 2017.
Winners selected from 45 ground-breaking projects shortlisted for the awards will be announced on November 17, 2017.