The initial phase of the MeyGen tidal energy project has won an award for its tidal turbine support structures at this year’s Structural Awards.
MeyGen emerged as a winner in the ‘Strucutres in Extreme Conditions’ category at the awards ceremony held on November 17, 2017, and organized by the Institution of Structural Engineers.
The category awards the excellence in the design of structures subject to extreme actions, including marine and offshore structures.
Judges were impressed by the slender design, minimal use of materials, and low environmental impact on the seabed, Atlantis Resources, the developer behind the project, said on social media.
“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.
Sitting in 30-50 meters of exposed fast flowing turbulent waters where the Atlantic meets the North Sea, the steel tripod gravity foundations, designed by Robert Bird Group, have been configured from first principles to enable year round turbine operation over a 25 year life with no maintenance.
To remind, Atlantis Resources reinstalled the fourth and final tidal turbine as part of the Phase 1A of the MeyGen project in the Pentland Firth, off Scotland, last month.