We called it a milestone moment for tidal power when the first turbines were installed at the world’s largest tidal energy plant in Scotland back in 2016. Four years on and we can reveal the record-breaking development in the country’s Highland region is making significant progress. Owners and developers SIMEC Atlantis Energy (Atlantis) this week released an operational update showing the MeyGen project is on track to deliver on its huge potential, not just through the generation of clean power, but in gathering data that can help accelerate the fortunes of the sector.
“I am delighted to report that MeyGen has now exported a remarkable 24.7GWh of predictable renewable energy. Not only is this world-renowned project helping the UK meet its Net Zero ambitions, but it is also providing valuable performance data which can be used to inform future projects, demonstrating MeyGen’s importance as a global prototype,” said Tim Cornelius, CEO of Atlantis.
Last year MeyGen recorded the ‘longest period of uninterrupted generation from a multi-megawatt tidal turbine array ever achieved’ in what is likely to prove a seminal moment for the future of renewable energy.
“MeyGen holds a 398MW seabed lease and our data centre expansion project is world leading for a number of reasons. The cost of tidal power continues to reduce and this is being assisted by the sustained pressure the offshore wind market places on the supply chain domestically and abroad,” added Cornelius. “The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil but data, and by combining tidal power with stranded onshore wind farms in close proximity to MeyGen, we can create a virtual power plant to provide sustainable power to a data centre in Scotland, creating important new fibre connections for Scotland and the UK in the process.”
