The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) has welcomed Spanish tidal energy developer Magallanes Renovables to its tidal test site at the Fall of Warness in Orkney, Scotland.
The installation of Magallanes’ second generation 2MW tidal platform ‘ATIR’ took place on 16th February and marks a major milestone in the Ocean_2G project, which aims to test, validate and pre-certify the company’s device.
The ATIR was built and launched in Vigo, Spain in 2017, where it underwent a structured test programme to optimise the system, ensuring the device performs at its best.
After this successful period of testing, the ATIR was towed from Spain to Orkney in September 2018 .
After months of careful planning and close working between the project partners, Orkney based marine service provider Leask Marine was able to successfully execute the operation at the weekend.
The ATIR will now undergo commissioning on site prior to being connected to the national grid.
Alejandro Marques de Magallanes , CEO, Magallanes Renovables, explained:
“ The journey to Orkney was no mean feat, but the team managed to skilfully navigate their way in harsh weather conditions, through some of Europe’s most challenging seas.
“We are very pleased to have the ATIR installed at EMEC. This marks a major milestone for the project and is a great achievement for our dedicated team after years of building up to this point.
“The next step in the project will be to start the testing programme at the Fall of Warness. We look forward to demonstrating the outputs of this pioneering prototype and generating electricity into the national grid in the near future. ”
EMEC’s Managing Director, Neil Kermode , adds:
“ We are thrilled to welcome Magallanes back to Orkney following their 1:10 scale tests at EMEC in 2014. By deploying the ATIR here, Magallanes have joined the family of technologies benefiting from the UK’s centre of excellence for marine renewable innovation.
“Having companies like Magallanes invest here and choose to demonstrate technologies in the UK, has led to the development of the world’s most experienced and innovative supply chain for marine energy. With Leask Marine installing the ATIR, Bryan J Rendall Electrical providing the electrical connection and RM Computing delivering IT support and communication, the value of this is clear to see: local jobs are being supported by the Ocean_2G project and EMEC’s infrastructure continues to create income for local companies .”
Douglas Leask , Managing Director of Leask Marine, oversaw the operations:
“ The successful installation of the ATIR at the Fall of Warness was due to careful planning and an effective working relationship between Leask Marine, Magallanes Renovables and EMEC,” he said.
“Marine operations at this time of year can be challenging, however by utilising the weather windows and skills of the team, it allowed this successful operation to take place. This also proves that marine operations don’t have to be restricted to summer months.
“Orkney is seen as a peripheral area by some, but we see it as the centre of this innovative and world leading sector. Leask Marine’s diversification into renewables has been key to the delivery of this type of operation. We are delighted to have been part of progress thus far and look forward to being part of more operations here in the future .”
Led by SAGRES – Magallanes Renovables’ parent company – the Ocean_2G project consortium brings together EMEC, Leask Marine, and electrical specialists IM FutuRe.
The project is funded by the Fast Track to Innovation pilot scheme, part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.