Scottish Renewables hails Bluemull Sound lease extension

Member organization acting as the voice of renewable energy industry in Scotland – Scottish Renewables – has welcomed the extension of seabed lease for Nova Innovation’s Shetland Tidal Array.

As reported earlier, Scottish Renewables’ member Nova Innovation secured an extension of its seabed lease at Bluemull Sound, increasing the capacity of the site lease to 2MW and the duration of the lease period to 2041.

“Offshore renewable energy holds huge potential for sustainable development in Scotland. The country is already home to some of the most advanced wave and tidal technologies anywhere in the world, and we should all be proud of the world lead that’s been developed here,” said Hannah Smith, Senior Policy Manager at Scottish Renewables.

“Nova Innovation’s work in Shetland shows how far this industry has come, and is playing a key role in making sure it continues to progress. It’s vital that government recognizes the benefits of developing our marine energy resource beyond just energy. Local supply chains, thriving coastal communities and the chance to capitalize on a potential multi-billion pound global market are, with the right support, all within our grasp,” added Smith.

Nova Innovation deployed the the first Nova M100 turbine at the Shetland site in March 2016. Four months later, the second turbine was deployed, while the third was added to the array early in 2017.

The Shetland Tidal Array project was made possible through Nova Innovation’s partnership with Belgian renewable developer ELSA.

With support from Scottish Enterprise, the project has 100% European content and has been delivered with over 80% Scottish supply chain content, demonstrating Nova’s commitment to local supply chain engagement.

Under the EnFAIT project, the array will be extended from three to six turbines, with a total rated capacity of 600kW.