O2 tidal turbine contract awarded to TEXO Group
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A multimillion-pound contract has been awarded to manufacture the world's most powerful tidal stream turbine in Scotland.
Orbital Marine Power Ltd, the world’s leading developer of floating tidal stream turbines, has awarded the deal to construct its first commercial O2 turbine to TEXO Group in Dundee.
The new turbine, which will have a generating capacity of more than 2MW, will go into operation at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney later next year.
The O2, which builds on the successful 2MW SR2000 turbine that generated more than three gigawatt hours of electricity in its first year of testing at EMEC, features several innovations focused on further reducing the cost of tidal energy production.
Andrew Scott, Orbital’s chief executive officer, said: “This is a flagship engineering project for the emerging tidal sector and we are delighted to be working with TEXO Group to showcase the very capable supply chain we are fortunate to have around us in Scotland and the wider UK.
“The results that we achieved with the SR2000 over the past two years are a convincing validation of our low-cost approach to generating clean, predictable power from tidal stream energy. The Orbital team are really excited to be building on that success with the O2, which we are confident will further reduce costs and cement our position at the forefront of this exciting new renewable sector.”
The O2 project has been financed in a number of ways including EU Horizon 2020 funding and a £7 million crowdfunding bond which Orbital raised at the start of the year, one of the largest peer-to-peer debentures in UK history. The project also benefits from previously offered market support for the sector via the Renewable Obligation.
Mr Scott added: “We are really pleased to have such strong endorsement from the wider UK public of our vision for tidal energy which bridges both an industrial opportunity and a low-carbon opportunity. And we hope the UK government will work constructively with us towards creating a wider future market opportunity to harness our fantastic tidal energy resources, in turn creating an entirely new domestic low-carbon generating industry with sustainable export capabilities.”
The main manufacturing work will be carried out by TEXO Group at its quayside facilities in Dundee.
Robert Dalziel, the group's managing director, said: ”We are proud and privileged to be awarded this prestigious contract. The O2 is a pioneering project that will transform the future of tidal energy on a global scale and will be a showcase for the very best in Scottish engineering. Our team has a wealth of experience in marine engineering with particular expertise in offshore oil and gas – this project enables us to showcase our vast capabilities for the offshore renewables sector.”
