Vattenfall Unveils New Wave Energy Plans in Scotland

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- Swedish energy company Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden) is to launch its second wave energy project off the Scottish coast following a deal with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).

The company plans to install the next generation of the Pelamis wave energy converters, from Pelamis Wave Power (Edinburgh, Scotland), at a test site in the seas surrounding the Orkney Islands. The company claimed that similar to the location of its first project off the coast of the Shetland Islands, the seas around Orkney are best suited for wave energy.

"Vattenfall wants to focus on wave energy to support the transition to renewable energy with low carbon dioxide emissions," explained Karl Bergman, Head of Vattenfall's Research and Development. "It requires safe and reliable technology. That is why we are planning to buy Pelamis Wave Power´s latest wave power converter and test it in the Orkney Islands. The Orkney Islands is the place to be in wave energy research and development."

The goal is to have the new Pelamis P2e converter installed and operating at the wave energy test site at Billia Croo in Orkney, by 2014. The European Marine Energy Centre boasts 14 full-scale test berths and is the largest marine test facility in the world. The centre is also looking to expand.

Neil Kermode, managing director at EMEC, said: "It is great to know that our facilities are attractive to the major utility companies, who are demonstrating a real commitment to marine renewables in testing these innovative technologies. This should instil further confidence in the value of the marine energy industry for potential investors."

He added: "Ultimately, the focus of the expansion will be determined by consultation with stakeholders to assess current and future requirements, but the development of berths suitable for testing small demonstration arrays is a real possibility".

In December 2009, Vattenfall formed a joint venture company with Pelamis Wave Power to create the first wave power project off the Shetland Islands. The company, Aegir Wave Power Limited, in which Vattenfall holds a 62% stake, aims to construct a wave energy farm with 11 Pelamis wave energy converters with a total installed capacity of 10-megawatts (MW) off the south-western Shetland coast. This would generate enough renewable electricity for approximately 8500 households.

Scotland is by far the most active marine energy region in the U.K and Europe. In March 2010, The Crown Estate awarded leasing rights for 10 projects with a combined generating capacity of 1,200 MW. The projects comprised six wave and four tidal projects in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters. For additional information, see March 18, 2010, article - Scotland Awards 1.2 Gigawatts of Marine Energy Projects.

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