Weekly Intelligence Brief
Fortnightly Intelligence Brief 11 – 25 January 2011
25 January 2012
MCT reveals PIP at marine energy park launch
Companies mentioned: Marine Current Turbines, South West Marine Energy Park, DECC, Verdant, Consolidated Edison, New York Power Authority, and Royal Haskoning
Fortnightly Intelligence Brief 11 – 25 January 2011
MCT reveals PIP at marine energy park launch
The South West Marine Energy Park in Plymouth, UK was launched in the past week, marking a breakthrough for the UK tidal sector.
Andrew Tyler of Marine Current Turbines met with Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker, ahead of the park’s, in support of Government and industry initiatives that have facilitated the development of the sector.
As a tangible sign of the Department’s policies in action, MCT decided to launch its Project Information Prospectuses for their first two commercial scale projects, which represents another milestone for the industry on the path to commercialsiation.
MCT’s projects are the 8 megawatts (MW) Kyle Rhea project in Scotland and its 10 MW Anglesey Skerries project in Wales.
Barker said: "We want the marine energy sector to succeed, so I'm delighted to see that MCT is progressing its SeaGen technology. We intend that the Renewables Obligation should support early commercial wave and tidal energy projects such as Kyle Rhea and the Skerries, this is why we are proposing to more than double the support to marine energy projects up to 30MW."
He said that this should help companies secure the financing for projects and accelerate the growth of the sector.
“Marine power has huge potential in the UK not just in contributing to a greener electricity supply and cutting emissions, but in supporting thousands of jobs in a sector worth a possible £15bn to the economy to 2050.
“The UK is already a world leader in wave and tidal power, so we should capitalise on this leadership to make marine power a real contender in the future energy market. I wish MCT every success," said Barker.
MCT’s Tyler is confident that the company is in a position to attract more investors. “Coupled with the backing of Siemens Energy, we are confident that there will be strong investment interest in our two projects,” said Tyler.
“DECC’s proposed policy to offer 5 ROCS to investors is hugely important and we are sure will give the necessary spur to the investment community.”
Verdant awarded licence for Roosevelt Island project
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has awarded New York’s Verdant Power the agen-cy’s first license for a tidal energy project. The power generated from New York’s City’s East River, would likely be sold to Consolidated Edison or the New York Power Authority, according to a Bloomberg report.
Verdant will use the 10-year contract to “demonstrate the commercial viability” of the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project, Trey Taylor, the company’s co-founder and president, told Bloomberg.
The 1,050-kilowatt project if successfully built could power homes on the small island, which runs between Manhattan and the district of Queens.
In late December, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that a joint Cornell University-Technion-Israel Institute of Technology graduate school of applied sciences will be built on the Island, which would signifying a greater need for localised power sources.
Seagen gets thumbs up from environmental study
SeaGen, the world’s first commercial tidal current energy turbine located in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough has had no major impact on the Lough’s marine life, according to the turbine’s owners, Marine Current Turbines.
Environmental consultancy Royal Haskoning, alongside and an independent Science Group, reported that the main outcomes of the Environmental Monitoring Programme (EMP) that commenced in 2005, before SeaGen’s deployment and its start of operation in 2008.
Other findings said that there were no major impacts have been detected from any of the monitoring programmes; There have been no changes in abundance of either seals or porpoises detected which can be attributed to SeaGen; and seals and porpoises are continuing to swim past SeaGen, demonstrating a lack of any concern or hindrance.
The only changes observed after three years of operation of SeaGen have been relatively small scale changes in the behaviour and distribution of seals and harbour porpoises, which suggests a minor degree of local avoidance of SeaGen, said the report.
The EMP concluded that the seabed life surrounding SeaGen’s foundations has recovered since its installation in 2008. In addition, the EMP has showed no evidence of significant change to the tidal speeds and flow directions within Strangford Narrows and that it is unlikely that marine traffic between Strangford town and Portaferry has been affected.
With regard to bird life, although not a key feature of the EMP, the studies have shown that the overall bird numbers in the Narrows have remained stable.
Frank Fortune, Technical Director at Royal Haskoning said: “The findings of the EMP give us confidence that SeaGen will be able to continue to operate with no likely significant impacts on the marine environment of Strangford Lough.
"This validates the innovative, adaptive management approach to monitoring and mitigation taken by MCT and supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.”
