World-first milestone for MeyGen tidal power turbine off the Caithness coast in the Pentland Firth
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A WORLD-first milestone in the field of tidal power has been hailed by the delighted firm behind the groundbreaking Caithness project.
The MeyGen tidal stream array, which is located in the Pentland Firth today became the first such array in the world to generate 50GWh of electricity – more than double the combined generation from tidal devices elsewhere in the world.
And Graham Reid, the CEO of the firm behind the array, SAE Renewables, has hailed the news as a "significant milestone" in efforts to deliver tidal stream power at scale.
He said: "I’m excited to announce a significant milestone for our MeyGen project, for the industry and on our net zero and energy security journey.
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"During the early hours of this morning, and with only marine life for company, our tidal stream array off the coast of the Pentland Firth became the first tidal stream array in the world to generate 50GWh of electricity. This is a significant milestone in delivering tidal stream power at scale.
"To highlight how significant our site and project is, total global generation from all other tidal devices and sites is less than 50 per cent of that amount.
"The MeyGen site has been operational since 2017, we have overcome many challenges, with reliability being an issue in the early days, but we have learned an immense amount along the way. Our longest-deployed turbine has been in continual operation since December 2018 with an average availability of 95 per cent.
"These turbines are located 20m below the frigid waters off the North Coast of Scotland, where the exchange of water between the North Sea and the North Atlantic is squeezed between the Scottish mainland and the Orkney Isles. This unseen and sometimes forgotten site has some of the strongest tidal flows found anywhere in the world and presents a predictable source of renewable electricity.
"We are immensely proud of what we have achieved, supported by our committed and loyal stakeholders in the Scottish Government.
"These figures might not seem big compared to technologies that have been state-funded for decades, but when they are compared to what they produced at the same stage of their development phase, we are already producing more value for the UK economy, more electricity, and a better price for consumers. Tidal can and does work, we just need to get more turbines in the water.
"I wanted to write this personally to express my gratitude to all those who have helped us reach this stage and delivered this milestone. Without fanfare, we are getting on with the job and delivering, for our project partners, for our shareholders and the planet.
"We will keep going, our MeyGen project will continue to break records and lead the industry. With your ongoing support, we will continue to prove that tidal power can deliver and unlock its delivery at scale."
