Wales Approves £10 Million Funding For Its First Commercial Tidal Power Project

The Welsh government has given approval to the first commercial tidal power project in Wales. The project will have a capacity of 10 MW and will require £70 million investment, £10 million of which will be provided by the Welsh government.

Siemens, through its acquired subsidiary Marine Current Turbine (MCT), will provide five SeaGen tidal stream turbines each having capacity of 2 MW for the Skerries Tidal Stream Array project. One of these turbines is already operational at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. The project is expected to generate enough electricity to power 10,000 homes.

The Welsh government will support the project through the Marine Energy Array Demonstration (MEAD) Fund. Another tidal power project, MeyGen, will also receive support of £10 million. Siemens will be developing the SeaGen project in collaboration with RWE npower.

Achim Woerner, chief executive officer of Siemens Energy Hydro and Ocean Unit said:

“We welcome the Welsh Government’s decision to grant approval for the Skerries scheme, the largest of its kind in the UK to date. The consent is an important milestone in Wales’ transition to a low carbon economy and the tidal farm will provide a very positive economic boost to Anglesey and North Wales.”

“We are also delighted that the Skerries project which is being developed by Sea Generation Wales Ltd has been selected for the £10 million Marine Energy Array Demonstration award. These developments confirm the viability of the SeaGen technology for larger scale deployment and the overall potential for the sector.”

The approval of the Skerries Scheme by the Welsh Government has followed extensive environmental studies and technical assessments as well as widespread public consultation over the past four years.  The consent reflects the ambitions of the Welsh Government to develop a low carbon economy, especially renewable energy sources, such as wind and tidal.

The views presented in the above article are the author’s personal views only