International technology Group ANDRITZ increased its stake in Hammerfest Strøm AS from 33.3% to 55.4%. The other major shareholders are the local Norwegian utility company Hammerfest Energi and the Spanish utility company Iberdrola.
The company will operate under the name of ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest in the future and is a world market leader in technologies for energy generation from tidal currents occurring in coastal waters.
In December 2011, ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest successfully installed its self-developed HS1000 tidal current turbine with a capacity of 1,000 kW in the waters of the European Marine Energy Centre, Scotland. Operation of the pilot plant is stable, and the first power was supplied to the grid already at the beginning of February this year. Further extensive load tests are currently underway, the commercial use can commence after this comprehensive testing phase.
The horizontal axis turbine is installed on the sea bed, and the rotor blades are driven by tidal currents. A 280° blade pitching system allows optimum rotor blade adjustment to the direction and speed of the tidal current. Thanks to the regularity of tidal currents compared to other renewable energy resources, a major advantage is the predictability of energy generation.
The new HS1000 turbine is based on the technology of the HS300, which was installed in Norway in 2003 as the first tidal current turbine with permanent connection to the public grid worldwide. This plant provides the core technology for installation of the first commercial underwater energy arrays. The first projects are currently being developed e.g. in Scotland.
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Offshore WIND staff, March 07, 2012; Image: hammerfeststrom