Morlais tidal energy scheme moves forward

Menter Môn, the third-party manager for the Morlais tidal energy project, has hired Royal HaskoningDHV and MarineSpace to conduct environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the Morlais Tidal Energy Demonstration Zone off Anglesey, Wales.

Under the contract, which marks the start of the next phase of the project, the two consultancies will also provide consenting support for the zone where 12 developers are bidding for space within the zone.

The West Anglesey Demonstration Zone has been designated by the Crown Estate for the development of up to ten renewable tidal power installations with a total cumulative production capacity of 120 MW.

Dafydd Gruffydd from Menter Môn said: “We are very excited to be beginning this next phase of the project with the support of these teams. Alongside our ongoing leasing round and progress towards grid and finance, this is an important milestone in our project development.”

Frank Fortune, Royal HaskoningDHV Technical Director, said: “Morlais is a key project for the tidal sector in Wales, as well as being internationally significant and we are delighted to be chosen to lead the consenting team for such a high profile project. Together with the excellent MarineSpace team, our aims are to deliver consent for Menter Môn, and secure Wales’ position in the tidal sector.”

Joseph Kidd, MarineSpace Technical Director, added: “Having been involved in the marine energy sector in Wales for a number of years it’s exciting to see the Morlais project building momentum. We are looking forward to working with Royal Haskoning DHV and the Morlais team to get the project ready for its first deployments.”