To accelerate its development in the tidal energy business, Alstom has signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to acquire Tidal Generation Limited (TGL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Plc) which specialises in the design and manufacture of tidal stream turbines. Alstom’s acquisition of TGL is expected to be completed within the next few months, subject to closing conditions.
TGL’s first 500 kWe unit was successfully installed at the European Marine Energy Centre at Orkney in Scotland. It has generated and fed into the grid over 250 MWh to date averaging 12 hours of operation each day.
This acquisition is intended to reinforce further Alstom’s range of products and systems in renewables, which includes hydro, wind, geothermal, biomass and solar and will complement Alstom’s existing R&D in ocean energies.
TGL, which is based in Bristol, UK, was the first EMEC located project to receive UK Renewable Obligations Certificates. As part of the Energy Technologies Institute commissioned and co-funded ReDAPT (Reliable Data Acquisition Platform for Tidal) consortium project, TGL’s 1MW tidal turbine will be installed at EMEC by the end of 2012 and will be tested in various operational conditions off Orkney over a two-year period. Detailed environmental and tidal stream information will be measured to help the marine renewable industry understand the challenges that must be addressed for tidal technology to be developed on a commercial scale.
Jérôme Pécresse, president of Alstom Renewable Power, commented: “This new step sets Alstom as a leader in ocean energies, with its Haliade 150 offshore wind turbine and its stake in AWS Ocean Energy Ltd, Scotland’s pioneering company in wave energy, with which we will provide wave devices for the world’s largest wave farm off the coast of Orkney in Scotland.”
