Released September 19, 2010 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--A major tidal energy project with a generating capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) is being planned off the coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland.
ESB International (ESBI), a subsidiary of Ireland's state-owned Electricity Supply Board (Dublin), has entered into an agreement with Marine Current Turbines (MCT) (Bristol, England) to deploy its SeaGen tidal turbine in what would be the largest tidal energy facility in the country.
The companies are working on a proposal for the forthcoming Marine Leasing Round in Northern Ireland to secure a lease from the Crown Estate, which controls the seabed surrounding the U.K. On securing a lease, formal consent will be sought from local authorities, and the first SeaGen turbines could be commissioned as early as 2018. Northern Ireland's Strategic Action Plan calls for 300 MW of tidal energy to be harnessed by 2020.
Martin Wright, the managing director of MCT, said: "This agreement underlines the success to date of the SeaGen project in Strangford Lough, but most importantly the real and growing commercial interest in tidal energy. Our agreement with ESBI, which has been a valued shareholder in MCT for two and a half years, confirms MCT's tidal technology as being in the forefront in the race to harness the power of tides."
MCT has a 1.2-MW SeaGen turbine installed at Northern Ireland's Strangford Lough, which has been supplying electricity to the U.K. grid since April 2008. Last month, the turbine delivered its 2 millionth unit of electricity to the grid. MCT is currently working with RWE npower renewables (Swindon, England), a subsidiary of German energy company RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY) (Essen, Germany), on a tidal energy project off the west coast of Wales. The Skerries Tidal Stream Array, which will be situated off the northwest coast of the island of Anglesey, will feature nine SeaGen turbines and will generate enough power to supply electricity to up to 10,000 homes. For additional information, see August 26, 2010, article - Tidal Energy Project Revealed for Welsh Waters.
ESBI is also investigating other marine energy opportunities around Ireland with Swedish energy major Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden). The companies are investigating wave energy opportunities off the west coast of Ireland, with the goal of setting up what they claim would be the world's first full-scale wave energy farm, generating up to 10 MW of electricity. The Irish government wants to generate 500-MW of electricity from marine energy sources by 2020.
Because Ireland's state-owned ESB is restricted to controlling no more than 40% of the Irish electricity market, the ESBI subsidiary is responsible for expanding ESB's presence in other electricity markets, notably Spain and the U.K. The company has a target of developing 3,000 MW of projects in the U.K. alone. Last December, ESBI, with its partner Scottish and Southern Energy plc (LSE:SSE) (Perth, Scotland), completed work on the 840-MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station at Marchwood, near Southampton in England. ESBI is also an 85% shareholder in a planned 1,520-MW gas-fired power station in Greater Manchester, England, which was given the green light last September. The station is due for commissioning in 2013.
View Plant Profile - 1057728 1087994
View Project Report - 200002122
IIR's Renewable Energy Database provides extensive coverage on the wind energy, geothermal, hydroelectric, landfill gas-to-energy and utility-scale solar power plants throughout North America, and is now expanding coverage across the world. Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
ESB International (ESBI), a subsidiary of Ireland's state-owned Electricity Supply Board (Dublin), has entered into an agreement with Marine Current Turbines (MCT) (Bristol, England) to deploy its SeaGen tidal turbine in what would be the largest tidal energy facility in the country.
The companies are working on a proposal for the forthcoming Marine Leasing Round in Northern Ireland to secure a lease from the Crown Estate, which controls the seabed surrounding the U.K. On securing a lease, formal consent will be sought from local authorities, and the first SeaGen turbines could be commissioned as early as 2018. Northern Ireland's Strategic Action Plan calls for 300 MW of tidal energy to be harnessed by 2020.
Martin Wright, the managing director of MCT, said: "This agreement underlines the success to date of the SeaGen project in Strangford Lough, but most importantly the real and growing commercial interest in tidal energy. Our agreement with ESBI, which has been a valued shareholder in MCT for two and a half years, confirms MCT's tidal technology as being in the forefront in the race to harness the power of tides."
MCT has a 1.2-MW SeaGen turbine installed at Northern Ireland's Strangford Lough, which has been supplying electricity to the U.K. grid since April 2008. Last month, the turbine delivered its 2 millionth unit of electricity to the grid. MCT is currently working with RWE npower renewables (Swindon, England), a subsidiary of German energy company RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY) (Essen, Germany), on a tidal energy project off the west coast of Wales. The Skerries Tidal Stream Array, which will be situated off the northwest coast of the island of Anglesey, will feature nine SeaGen turbines and will generate enough power to supply electricity to up to 10,000 homes. For additional information, see August 26, 2010, article - Tidal Energy Project Revealed for Welsh Waters.
ESBI is also investigating other marine energy opportunities around Ireland with Swedish energy major Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden). The companies are investigating wave energy opportunities off the west coast of Ireland, with the goal of setting up what they claim would be the world's first full-scale wave energy farm, generating up to 10 MW of electricity. The Irish government wants to generate 500-MW of electricity from marine energy sources by 2020.
Because Ireland's state-owned ESB is restricted to controlling no more than 40% of the Irish electricity market, the ESBI subsidiary is responsible for expanding ESB's presence in other electricity markets, notably Spain and the U.K. The company has a target of developing 3,000 MW of projects in the U.K. alone. Last December, ESBI, with its partner Scottish and Southern Energy plc (LSE:SSE) (Perth, Scotland), completed work on the 840-MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station at Marchwood, near Southampton in England. ESBI is also an 85% shareholder in a planned 1,520-MW gas-fired power station in Greater Manchester, England, which was given the green light last September. The station is due for commissioning in 2013.
View Plant Profile - 1057728 1087994
View Project Report - 200002122
IIR's Renewable Energy Database provides extensive coverage on the wind energy, geothermal, hydroelectric, landfill gas-to-energy and utility-scale solar power plants throughout North America, and is now expanding coverage across the world. Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
