When fully operational later in the summer, its 16m diameter twin rotors will operate for up to 20 hours per day to produce clean, green electricity, equivalent to that used by 1,000 homes. This is four times greater than any other tidal stream project so far built.

Commentating after the successful first phase of work, Martin Wright, managing director of Marine Current Turbines said, 'SeaGen is a hugely exciting project, as well as an historic achievement for both Marine Current Turbines and for renewables in the UK and Ireland. Tidal energy has the great advantage of being predictable and no other system can harness the power of the tidal currents in the way this one can. We take great pride and see enormous potential in the technology and hope it will eventually make a significant contribution to the future energy needs of the British Isles, Ireland and beyond.'

UK Secretary of State for Energy, John Hutton added, 'It is great news that Marine Current Turbines and British innovation are leading the world in the development of marine energy technologies. It’s this sort of project which will help the UK meet our ambitious targets to significantly increase the amount of energy from renewable sources.

'I am proud that my department has played a part in the development of SeaGen, granting £5.2m of funds to help take it from the drawing board. Marine power has the potential to make a significant contribution to our energy generation needs, and I hope the success of this project will inspire others to follow its lead.'

SeaGen had its final assembly at the Harland & Wolff dockyard in Belfast, from where it was winched onto the crane barge Rambiz, owned and operated by the Belgium company Scaldis, and then transported to Strangford Narrows.

The deployment by the Rambiz and the subsequent installation work was overseen by MCT’s in-house engineering team and managed by marine engineering specialists SeaRoc Ltd.  

The quadropod section that sits on the seabed was then pin piled. Each of the four pins that secure SeaGen was drilled to a depth of around nine metres. This work was carried out by Fugro Seacore Ltd and was scheduled to take up to 14 days.

SeaGen will enter commercial operation after a commissioning phase of around 12 weeks and supply electricity to the local grid. ESB Independent Energy, the retail subsidiary of ESB, Ireland’s national electricity company, has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with MCT to supply to its customers in the island of Ireland with the power produced by SeaGen.

As a renewable energy company, MCT has established a £2m programme to closely monitor the environmental impact of SeaGen, involving scientists from the Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and from the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrew’s University (SMRU). The programme includes the presence of a Marine Mammal Observer on SeaGen at all times during the commissioning phase, when SeaGen will only operate during daylight hours, to observe how the Lough’s marine life interacts with the structure. There is also a sonar system monitoring seal movements, operated by SMRU, which has been partly paid for by the Npower Juice fund

An official switch-on ceremony will take place in the summer after the commissioning phase is completed.