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Magallanes installs tidal turbine at EMEC

4C Offshore | Tom Russell
By: Tom Russell 18/02/2019 European Marine Energy Centre
Spanish tidal energy developer Magallanes Renovables is testing its tidal technology on a test site at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland.

Installation of the second generation 2MW tidal platform ‘ATIR’ took place on 16th February, marking a milestone in the Ocean_2G project, which aims to test, validate and pre-certify Magallanes’ device. The ATIR will now undergo commissioning on site prior to being connected to the national grid.

The ATIR was built and launched in Vigo, Spain in 2017, where it underwent a structured test programme to optimise the system. After this period of testing, the ATIR was towed from Spain to Orkney in September 2018.

Alejandro Marques de Magallanes, CEO, Magallanes Renovables, explained: “The journey to Orkney was no mean feat, but the team managed to skilfully navigate their way in harsh weather conditions, through some of Europe’s most challenging seas.

“We are very pleased to have the ATIR installed at EMEC. This marks a major milestone for the project and is a great achievement for our dedicated team after years of building up to this point.

“The next step in the project will be to start the testing programme at the Fall of Warness. We look forward to demonstrating the outputs of this pioneering prototype and generating electricity into the national grid in the near future.”


EMEC’s Managing Director, Neil Kermode, adds: “We are thrilled to welcome Magallanes back to Orkney following their 1:10 scale tests at EMEC in 2014. By deploying the ATIR here, Magallanes have joined the family of technologies benefiting from the UK’s centre of excellence for marine renewable innovation.

“Having companies like Magallanes invest here and choose to demonstrate technologies in the UK, has led to the development of the world’s most experienced and innovative supply chain for marine energy. With Leask Marine installing the ATIR, Bryan J Rendall Electrical providing the electrical connection and RM Computing delivering IT support and communication, the value of this is clear to see: local jobs are being supported by the Ocean_2G project and EMEC’s infrastructure continues to create income for local companies.”

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