Tidal power agreement

By signing this new partnership agreement with Alstom, GDF Suez is consolidating its industrial partnerships to outfit the pilot tidal energy farm at Raz Blanchard with Alstom turbines in addition to Voith ones.

The energy giant says that together the project partners will marshall and pool their expertise and skills to create a marine current sector in France and achieve industrial competitiveness and performance. The plan is to commission the first turbines in 2016.

Alstom is currently testing its 1MW tidal turbine under EMEC waters, off Scotland’s Orkney Islands. The turbine has reached the full nominal power of 1MW, generating over 10MWh of electricity on the grid. Trials performed in pilot farms will test the performance of the turbine under real operating conditions.

The power expert will also sign an agreement this week with Ports Normands Associés (PNA) which could allow the Group to perform the final assembly of the turbines, the erection of the foundations and all maintenance operations from Cherbourg – if it is awarded the Raz Blanchard pilot farms.

The port offers many benefits, including, in particular, a development plan covering 40 hectares for infrastructure devoted to tidal power, as well as the proximity of the Raz Blanchard site and the British coastline, “which represents a substantial potential market”, Alstom says.

Meantime, GDF Suez wants to maintain its position as a major player in the marine current renewable energy and has positioned itself at the two largest French tidal power sites where 80% of the potential of this energy source are concentrated – Raz Blanchard off the Cotentin coast, and Fromveur offshore from Finistère.

It created a similar partnership in Fromveur in June 2012 with the Quimper based company Sabella that is currently completing the construction of the D10 tidal energy turbine.