Norwegian tidal energy developer Tidetec has started building up a consortium to deliver a proposal for the Wyre estuary tidal barrage project in England.
The UK developer of the Wyre project, Atlantis Resources, invited Tidetec to join the technical prequalifying round for the project’s Front End Engineering Design (FEED), being conducted by Mott Macdonald, the company informed.
The Norwegian developer said it already started discussions with international turbine producers and Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) companies to form a consortium that could deliver the project.
“Atlantis Energy is developing the Wyre project – a highly competitive project, with comparable prices to onshore wind on the energy cost. We are in frequent dialogue with the CEO, Tim Cornelius and his team, who would be very happy to see a Tidetec proposition for this project.
“The consortium we are developing to be able to bid for Wyre will outperform any other proposition in the market, on both cost and efficiency,” Tidetec said in a statement.
The current deadline for delivery of a proposal for this project is anticipated for late 2018, according to Tidetec.
To remind, Atlantis Resources agreed terms with the Duchy of Lancaster for a long-term riverbed lease option to build a 160MW tidal barrage between Fleetwood and Knott End on the Lancashire coast, with co-developer Natural Energy Wyre.
The feasibility studies for the project forecast the project will produce almost 300GWh of sustainable energy each year.
To support the development of the Wyre project delivery team and engineering works to adapt the turbine for the Wyre site, Tidetec has scheduled a fundraising campaign that will begin on February 1, 2018.
The company is targeting $635,000 (NOK 5 million), pricing shares at $91.5 (NOK 721) a piece, in a fundraiser that will close on March 1, 2018.
Tidetec has developed a turbine solution for tidal barriers and lagoon, that consists of a rotating turret solution, and bi-directional tidal turbine.
The main intention of the turret is to turn the turbine, to enable optimal bi-directional functionality.
The company’s turbine solution is intended to fit into a concrete structure (caisson), which is part of a barrage or lagoon.