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POWER FROM THE SEA

The major European Tidal technology company OpenHydro, a DCNS company, and Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) have signed a joint venture which will see the two companies combine their expertise and resources to develop a 300MW tidal array in Alderney waters. The joint venture company is called Race Tidal Ltd.

The island of Alderney is located in the Channel Islands and its territorial waters contain one of the world’s largest tidal energy resources which, once fully developed, is estimated to produce enough energy to power 1.5 million homes. Once completed, the array developed by OpenHydro and ARE is expected to consist of 150 turbines (2.0MW each) which will produce enough power for over 150,000 homes. Related to this, FAB Link Limited, a joint venture between ARE and Transmission Investment LLP, is developing a power interconnector between France, Alderney and Britain. This link will enable the tidal power generated in Alderney’s waters to be exported to European markets, as well as allowing energy to be traded between France and Britain. Development of the FAB project is progressing in conjunction with French Grid operator RTE.

OpenHydro is a DCNS company specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of marine turbines generating renewable energy from tidal streams. The company’s vision is to deploy marine turbine farms under the surface of the oceans to produce energy silently, invisibly and with no impact on the environment. OpenHydro has achieved a number of industry firsts including being the first to deploy a tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), the first to connect to and generate electricity from tidal streams onto the UK National Grid and the first to successfully demonstrate a method of safely and economically deploying and recovering turbines directly on the seabed. The deployment and recovery method delivers a step change in the economics of tidal energy.

OpenHydro has a project portfolio spanning the USA, Canada, France, Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands with utility partners including Emera, EDF, Bord Gáis, SnoPUD and SSE Renewables. OpenHydro has won a number of awards for its innovations in the field of renewable energy technology

Alderney Renewable Energy

Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) is the developer of tidal power resources on Alderney. In 2008, ARE secured a 65 year licence from The States of Alderney and the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy. The licence provides ARE with access to Alderney’s Territorial waters, an area of 48 square miles, and permits ARE to install tidal turbines and infrastructures for renewable energy systems. The resources in these waters are estimated to be in excess of 3000MW. ARE intends to be involved in project development only; once construction of the FAB link project has started, it will focus on building the equipment that will connect to FAB.

ARE has a long established relationship with OpenHydro (OpenHydro holds a 31 per cent shareholding in ARE) with both companies bringing their complementary expertise to the Alderney project. OpenHydro will provide the turbines which will be manufactured in Cherbourg (France) in an industrial site which will also support future tidal energy farms off the French coast.

Over the next three years, the partners will be working closely with The States of Alderney, the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy, local communities and stakeholders to complete the required surveys and environmental impact assessments prior to making an application for full consent. The 300MW tidal array is expected to reach full scale deployment from 2020 which will coincide with the commissioning of the FAB interconnector. Milestone for tidal power

Commenting on the joint venture announcement, Thierry Kalanquin, chairman of OpenHydro and DCNS senior vice-president Energies and Marine Infrastructure, said: “We are very excited about this next phase in the development of tidal energy in Alderney waters. Our initial agreement with ARE which dates back to 2007 has been a strategic part of our site development business plan. Today’s announcement represents another key milestone as we realise our goals to deliver commercial tidal energy projects. The joint venture that we have signed with ARE will now ensure the development of a 300MW tidal array in Alderney waters.”

Speaking on behalf of ARE, Nick Horler, executive chairman, said: “The economic development of Alderney’s tidal power projects will provide Europe with a new source of predictable, clean, renewable energy and improve the security of our energy supplies. The joint venture partnership that we now have in place with OpenHydro is a critical piece in the jigsaw as we move to now make significant progress towards creating one of the largest renewable energy projects in European coastal waters.” n