Landmark in tidal power unveiled in Wales

The DeltaStream 400kW demonstration device, developed by tidal stream technology company Tidal Energy Ltd (TEL), will be installed in Ramsay Sound on a freestanding base to capture the power of the tidal flow and supply electricity to homes off St Davids Head. The company says the project will be the first grid-connected freestanding tidal turbine in Wales.

Weighing 150 tonnes and with a frame 16m long and 20m high, the DeltaStream device includes a number of design features to minimise any potential impact on the environment. Consequently, the project has been given precautionary ‘deploy and monitor’ environmental consent in a designated Marine Special Area of Conservation.

Speaking at the unveiling, Tidal Energy managing director Martin Murphy said: “The imminent launch of DeltaStream, and the supply chain that now exists as a consequence of its development, marks the birth of the tidal industry in Wales. We remain committed to leading the expansion of this industry and to the creation of green jobs by building on the wealth of expertise present in the UK and the country’s plentiful resources.”

EU funds worth £8m delivered through the Welsh Government have been invested in the project, with match funding from majority shareholder, Welsh renewable energy company Eco2 Ltd.

Following the 12 month testing period, TEL will join forces with Eco2 Ltd to install up to nine DeltaStream devices off St Davids Head, which will form a 10MW DeltaStream commercial array and generate enough power for approximately 10,000 homes.

Dr David Williams, chief executive of Eco2 Ltd, said: “The St Davids Head project will serve to further prove the commercial viability of DeltaStream and marine renewable energy as a whole. The device has excellent export potential for deployment in high energy tidal sites around the world, and we intend to harness this tidal potential.”

The DeltaStream project marks the first step in the delivery of the Welsh Government’s March 2014 Plan for its Low Carbon Transition Strategy in marine renewable generation.