Harnessing Isle of Wight tidal power

PTEC has gained offshore consents to place tidal turbines in the sea off the south coast of the Isle of Wight. First to sign up is Orbital Marine Power, developer of the Orbital O2, with an initial target deployment of up to 15MW by the end of 2025.

Rob Stevens, chairman of PTEC, said: “This is an important moment for the Isle of Wight economy. Having one of the most advanced tidal turbines in the world producing clean, predictable energy on our site will be a huge step forward for Britain and the Island. It will establish the Isle of Wight and the Solent at the centre of an exciting new marine energy sector, unlocking investment, jobs and a new future.”

Tidal stream energy accelerator

Oliver Wragg, commercial director of Orbital, said: “This agreement will enable a commercial tidal energy project that will pave the way for tidal steam energy to make a meaningful and complementary contribution to the UK’s transition to net zero.”

Each of Orbital’s 2MW O2 turbines can generate sufficient clean, predictable electricity to power around 2,000 UK homes and offset approximately 2,200t of CO2 production per year.

The company recently launched the first O2 from the Port of Dundee, where it was manufactured with 80% UK supply chain content, before towing the unit to the Orkney Islands where it will be grid connected at the European Marine Energy Centre in the coming weeks and enter commercial operation for the next 15 years.

By Rebecca Jeffrey