Fife-based Burntisland Fabrication Limited (BiFab) has been awarded the largest single contract for the fabrication of the sub-structure for the turbine, which will be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney next year.
ScottishPower Renewables (SPR), a major shareholder in Hammerfest Strøm for the last five years, has already submitted a planning application to install ten HS1000 machines at a tidal-power array in the Sound of Islay on the west coast of Scotland. Beyond this, SPR is developing a 95 turbine project at Ness of Duncansbay in the Pentland Firth as part of The Crown Estate’s first marine energy leasing round. The company also confirmed that it will be entering the Ness of Duncansbay project into the Scottish Government’s £10M Saltire Prize for marine energy innovation.
Welcoming Hammerfest’s announcement, ScottishPower Renewables’ Managing Director Keith Anderson said: “ScottishPower Renewables is committed to leading the development of new renewable energy technologies in the UK, and we already have major projects planned utilising wave and tidal power. Following the deployment of the initial HS1000 machine in Orkney, SPR is planning to install ten of the machines in the Sound of Islay, which will be the first tidal power array of its kind in the world. Following on from this, we are also planning to install up to 95 tidal turbines in the Pentland Firth.
“We are delighted that Hammerfest Strøm has announced that it will be constructing the first HS1000 turbine in Scotland. We know that the company looked internationally to find the right levels of expertise to deliver this contract, so it is a major boost to Scotland’s renewable energy industry and to the wider economy to see this new technology going in to construction in Stornoway. With our projects in Islay and the Pentland Firth also being developed, we hope that the announcement today is just the beginning of what could be a major stream of new opportunities for the renewables and manufacturing industries in Scotland.”
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, added: “I am delighted that Scottish businesses will benefit from the next stage of the development of one of the world’s most advanced tidal turbines.
“With unrivalled energy resources off our coast and a range of wave, tidal and offshore wind development already underway, Scotland leads the way in generating power offshore.
“We have an estimated 25 percent of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal resource and 10 percent of its wave potential, a renewable energy resource which is unrivalled in Europe.
“Awarding £4M of contracts to Scotland is a massive vote of confidence in the talent, expertise and infrastructure we have to support the development of a clean, green renewables future.”
