MeyGen nears 400MWh of tidal power generation

Atlantis Resources has revealed that in the first three weeks of March, the average generation at MeyGen has been sufficient to power the equivalent of 1,250 UK homes.

The power performance of the turbines at MeyGen has exceeded the contractual output guarantees, putting the project on track to achieve capacity factors in excess of 40%, Atlantis informed.

The first phase of the MeyGen tidal array project started operation in November 2016, subsequently securing the full Ofgem accreditation as a 5 ROC project in February 2017.

MeyGen’s Phase 1A features four tidal turbines with a total capacity of 6MW, three of which built by Andritz Hydro Hammerfest (AHH) and one AR1500 Atlantis turbine.

The three AHH turbines, installed between November 2016 and January 2017, are now scheduled to undergo onshore inspection to permit AHH to implement system enhancements derived from the lessons learned during the initial period of operations.

The turbines will then be redeployed in the next available tidal window, according to Atlantis. The last turbine added to the Phase 1A array, the AR1500, is operating autonomously at full output.

“We are delighted with the performance of the AR1500,” said Drew Blaxland, Director of Turbines and Engineering Services at Atlantis. “Our initial data analysis shows that the AR1500 is producing at least 4% more energy than the guaranteed contractual baseline, and we anticipate that this will improve further as more data is captured. This performance, coupled with our rapid and effective deployment system, puts the Atlantis system in a class of its own.”

Rudolf Bauernhofer, Managing Director of AHH, said: “We have learned a great deal from the first few months of operation and have been very pleased with both the autonomous running capability of the turbines and their energy production which is well above the guaranteed value as assessment of initial data has demonstrated.

“We’ve identified some improvements based on the 250MWh of energy generated in the initial period of operations and we are working to implement these to ensure we get the best out of the turbines for years to come.”

Construction for the next 6MW phase of the MeyGen project is due to begin later this year.