PROGRESSING

Tidal power specialist Atlantis Resources has hailed another milestone for its groundbreaking Meygen scheme in the Pentland Firth.

The Edinburgh-based group announcedyesterdaythatconstruction had been completed on Phase 1A of the project with the turbines officially entering a 25-year operational period.

With a six-megawatt (MW) rated capacity, Meygen is the world’s largest tidal stream array.

The latest development follows on from an extended period of operation since the turbines were reinstalled last year. The array has generated about six gigawatt hours of energy to date and last month set a new world record for monthly production from a tidal stream array, generating 1,400MWH.

The firm said that completion of the construction of Phase 1A combined with the ongoing production and reliability levels achieved “help to progress the viability of tidal stream energy as a clean and predictable energy source”. It noted that it had an “international portfolio of opportu-

0 Atlantis chief Tim Cornelius praised “commitment and dedication”

TIM CORNELIUS, CEO nities” for further tidal array projects.

The Meygen project alone has 392MW of further development capacity, with consents and grid connection agreements in place.

Tim Cornelius, Atlantis chief executive and Meygen chairman, said: “Seeing the Meygen project move into the operations phase is another major milestone on the path to commercialising tidal stream energy.

“We would like to thank all our funders, contractors and shareholders for their unwavering support and belief in the project over the years. I would especially like to thank Scottish Enterprise, Highland and Islands Enterprise, Crown Estate Scotland, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Morgan Stanley and Engie.

“We would also like to highlight the invaluable contributions made by the two turbine suppliers, the highly skilled local supply chain in Scotland and the Meygen project team.

“Their commitment and

“Seeing the Meygen project move into the operations phase is another major milestone on the path to commercialising tidal stream energy”