Tidal demo project deploys in Orkney

The deployment signals the start of Tocardo’s planned 20-year commercial demonstration InToTidal project at the Fall of Warness tidal test site.

Hans van Breugel, CEO of Tocardo Tidal Power, said: “Our work at EMEC is an important step in de-risking and improving Tocardo’s offshore tidal power technology.”

“Tocardo’s benchmark is to produce energy at the cost of offshore wind in the near future. To be able to achieve this, the tidal energy sector needs to be enabled to increase the installed volume of equipment.”

He added that Tocardo is ready to become one of the larger inward investment companies into the marine energy sector, with a strong operational and production base in Scotland and Wales.

“The UK is extremely well positioned as a maritime nation to create new jobs from the growing tidal energy industry,” he said.

Led by Tocardo, the project brings together Orkney based companies EMEC and Leask Marine, and French research institute IFREMER. Tocardo has already been working with international shipyard Damen, as well as Leask Marine, Bryan J Rendall Electrical and Aquatera in Orkney for the system deployment at EMEC’s tidal site.

Tocardo is also readying itself for large scale roll-out of its generic solution for tidal energy production with the next system set for installation in Canada at the FORCE and Petit Passage locations.

By Anne-Marie Causer