Magallanes fits tidal blades on Atir floating platform

 
Magallanes Renovables has installed the blades on one of the rotors of its Atir floating tidal energy platform ahead of towing trials in Vigo estuary, Spain.

Galician tidal energy developer Magallanes Renovables fitted the blades on the stern rotor of the platform in a diving operation conducted last week, according to the Galician Association of Metallurgical Industries (ASIME).

The installation operation of one of the blades took three hours to complete, ASIME said, which is a progress from the first blade installation that took 10 hours to complete.

Beforehand, the bladeless Atir platform underwent a towing trial in the Vigo estuary to test the loads in the moorings, and according to Magallanes Renovables, the results have demonstrated the stability of the platform.

The Atir platform is set to undergo additional towing trials in Vigo estuary – this time equipped with a complete stern rotor starting early in December, Mario Iglesias, Project Director at Magallanes Renovables confirmed.

The trials are expected to last until March, with the expectations that platform will generate around 600kW during tests, Iglesias was quoted as saying by ASIME.

 
The full-scale Atir device, launched in April 2017, weighs 350 tonnes, and is 42 meters long.

The platform is rated at 2MW, with two-side oriented turbine blades spanning 19 meters in diameter.

After the tests in Vigo, the platform will be moved to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland, for additional trials that will last for one year, starting in 2018.