Go-ahead for Minesto marine plant as Wales invests in renewables 08 July 2014

The world's first commercial tidal power project designed to harvest energy from low-velocity currents has secured a Crown Estate lease on the seabed.

The deal opens the way for a commercial demonstration site for electricity production from tidal currents using Minesto marine energy technology.

Anders Jansson, CEO of Minesto, says the firm will now prepare consent application for its chosen site, near Holyhead Island, prior to the construction of a 10MW marine energy array in 2016.

The plant, when fully operational, should supply electricity to some 8,000 households, and make Wales a world leader in marine energy, according to Jansson.

The decision forms part of The Crown Estate's UK-wide wave and tidal stream leasing round, which saw rights awarded for five new tidal stream sites across the UK, each with the potential to deliver 10—30MW capacity.

Jansson believes the Welsh coast has the potential for several thousand MW of marine power, making the area among the best places in the world for low-velocity tidal energy.

"We are extremely excited that we now will have the opportunity to commercialise Deep Green in the low-velocity tidal currents off Wales," states Jansson.

"With the 'agreement for lease' we will now actively work together with local actors to ensure that Wales becomes a leading region for marine energy," he adds.

"By providing these additional seabed rights, we are pleased to be enabling further technology development and commercialisation, which will be critical if the UK is to unlock its natural resources for wave and tidal current energy," comments Rob Hastings, director of energy and infrastructure at The Crown Estate.

And the decision also has the blessing of the Carbon Trust. "We are excited to see [Minesto] have achieved this agreement for lease since it opens the path to commercial roll-out of the technology," comments David Aitken, head of incubation at the Carbon Trust.

"Minesto's technology has the potential to significantly expand the UK's tidal resource, by unlocking lower velocity tidal flows, and lowering the cost of marine energy," he adds.

Minesto's tidal power plant, called Deep Green, is essentially an underwater kite and is based on what the firm describes as "a fundamentally new principle for electricity generation from tidal and ocean currents".

Brian Tinham

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