Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) has submitted a consent application for a tidal farm to the south of the Isle of Wight.

PTEC has applied to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Isle of Wight Council (as the Local Planning Authority) for permission to construct and operate a tidal energy demonstration site off St Catherine’s Point to the south of the Isle of Wight. If consent is granted, the multi technology tidal array demonstration facility will be the first of its kind in the world.

The electricity will be generated from tidal currents in the sea south of the Isle of Wight, supplying the Island with clean, renewable energy. The total electrical output from the site is expected to be over 50,000 MWh per year.

PTEC’s consenting works, including the environmental impact assessment (EIA), were led by Royal HaskoningDHV, an engineering consultancy firm, due to its track-record of successful EIAs, and its reputation for consent delivery for projects in the marine environment. Royal HaskoningDHV also managed the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for PTEC’s offshore and onshore works.

The tidal technologies to be deployed at PTEC will be positioned in groups or arrays within an area of 5 km2. Export cables on the seabed will bring the electricity from the site to an onshore substation.

Mark Francis, Project Manager for PTEC said:

 “We are really excited by this project and the potential it has to benefit not just the Island and its residents, but the UK more widely.

“It will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world, reinforcing the UK’s reputation as world-leaders in the wave and tidal industry.

“We have already undertaken a comprehensive programme of engagement with regulators, the local community and other stakeholders, and will continue to work closely with them as the project progresses. We look forward to working with the MMO and Local Planning Authority during the consent determination process, which is due to end in 2015.”

Prime Minister expresses support for scheme

Last week David Cameron expressed his support for the scheme at Prime Minister’s Questions in response to a question from Andrew Turner, MP for the Isle of Wight.

The Prime Minister confirmed the UK is now the most attractive market in the world for investment in offshore wind and in marine renewables, commenting:

 “We want to maintain that world leading position. We want to harness the economic benefits and the environmental benefits that brings and we want to see local centres of expertise and from what I can see the Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre sounds like exactly the sort of exciting initiative that we should be supporting.”

The Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) was created to make the Isle of Wight a centre of excellence for marine renewable energy and to stimulate and attract a network of supporting industries and jobs to the Island.

Previously known as the Solent Ocean Energy Centre (SOEC), the centre changed its name to Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre in 2013.

The company behind PTEC is Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre Ltd; a consortium which includes Island based, clean energy company Perpetuus Energy Ltd, the Isle of Wight Council and TB Partners LLP, a project development company specialising in the clean technology sector.

If the submission for consent is successful, then construction could start in late 2016 and should last no longer than 18 months within a 3 year construction window. Once construction is completed, the facility will be commissioned and ready for the deployment and operations of tidal energy devices from 2017-2018.