James Fisher Marine Services (JFMS) secured a contract with MeyGen to complete the offshore installation activities associated with the construction of the first phase (Phase 1A) of its ground breaking 398MW tidal array project in the Pentland Firth, Scotland.
When fully completed, the MeyGen project will have the potential to provide clean, sustainable, predictable power for 175,000 homes in Scotland from up to 269 tidal turbines secured on the seabed.
This follows the announcement on 21st August 2014 that the MeyGen project, owned by AIM-listed tidal power company, Atlantis Resources (Atlantis), has successfully led a funding syndicate to raise approximately £50 million, which will be used to finance the initial stage of the wider MeyGen project.
Under this contract JFMS will employ its considerable marine operational expertise in the installation of four 1.5 megawatt turbines, support structures, submarine cables and other infrastructure offshore, with construction expected to commence later this year and first electricity delivered to the grid by 2016. The successful installation of the tidal array with MeyGen will be the first of its kind in the world and positions JFMS at the forefront of commercial scale subsea tidal turbine installations.
Commenting on the successful contract award Jim Hey, Group Business Development Director of James Fisher said: “I am delighted that JFMS has been selected by MeyGen to complete this exciting project to further the development of tidal energy and strengthen the capabilities of the UK supply chain. As an integrator of complex marine projects with access to the specialist resources and capabilities of the wider James Fisher group, this latest award builds on its successful track record of completing detailed planning and engineering studies for other tidal developments and delivery of other significant projects the marine sector”.
“The marine energy industry has made huge progress over recent years, however the progression to construction, operation and maintenance of a commercial tidal array is a significant step that we are excited to be involve in.’ added Jim. added Jim.
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Press release, September 08, 2014; Image: jfms