Contractors will begin the construction of a 340-meter access road at the MeyGen tidal stream project today, majority owner of the project, Atlantis Resources, announced.
The announcement marks the start of all onshore construction at the site, a preparatory stage which will pave the way for the 398 megawatt (MW) tidal array to be built offshore.
ABB is the principal contractor for all onshore construction of the MeyGen project and has appointed local Caithness family business John Gunn & Sons Ltd to construct the access road.
Onsite welfare facilities will be installed as well as the road, which will allow for the Horizontal Directional Drilling to commence close to the foreshore as well as prepare the ground for the Power Conversion Unit Building foundations (PCUB).
The road is expected to take three months to build, with all onshore construction expected to be completed over the next 12 months.
“Creating access to the site is literally and figuratively the first step on a long but exciting journey,” says MeyGen CEO Dan Pearson . “It’s wonderful to be working with power experts ABB who share our passion for tidal energy, and with John Gunn & Sons who share our commitment to the local community. Together, we have a lot of work to do and we can’t wait to get started.”
“ABB is delighted to be providing the grid connection for this ground-breaking tidal energy project,” says Stephen Trotter, Local Division Manager Power Systems. “It pulls together the capabilities of ABB teams and factories across Europe in power conversion and grid connection and has particular synergy with the skills and knowhow we have established in other renewable energy sectors such as wind and solar.”
The MeyGen project is the largest planned tidal development project in the world at 398 megawatts of total installed capacity when fully constructed. Situated in the Pentland Firth, the MeyGen array will consist of 269 submerged tidal turbines, enough to power 175,000 Scottish homes.
In Phase 1A of the project, four submerged turbines generating 6 MW will be installed in the Inner Pentland Firth just north of Caithness, with first power expected to be delivered in 2016.
Press release; Image: Atlantis Resources