World's most powerful tidal turbine launches in Dundee

The world’s most powerful tidal turbine has been launched in Dundee.

The 680-tonne structure is being towed to Orkney where it will harness the strong tidal current to generate enough energy to power up to 2000 homes.

The 2MW tidal turbine, the Orbital O2, was transferred from the quayside in Dundee into the River Tay using a submersible barge.

Speaking of the launch, Orbital’s CEO, Andrew Scott, said: “This is a huge milestone for Orbital; the O2 is a remarkable example of British cleantech innovation and the build we have completed here is an inspiring display of what a UK supply chain can achieve if given the opportunity – even under the extraordinary pressures of a pandemic.”

It will harness the strong tidal current to generate enough energy to power up to 2000 homes. Orbital Marine Power

The O2 turbine started construction in the second half of 2019 and reflects approximately 80% UK supply content.

From Scottish steel work from Motherwell, which was fabricated in Cupar through to anchors from Wales and blades from the south of England; the build of the O2 is estimated to have supported over 80 jobs within the UK economy.

The launch of the O2 marks the first vessel launch from Dundee since ship building ended over forty years ago.

O2 has the ability to generate enough clean, predictable electricity to meet the demand of around 2000 UK homes and offset approximately 2200 tonnes of CO2 production per year.

Chris Smith, MD of TEXO Group commented: “The O2 programme has given us a significant opportunity to demonstrate our multi-disciplinary capabilities, and our proactive approach to working collaboratively with clients.

“We firmly believe that the transition to a net zero environment will deliver a range of opportunities to the UK’s engineering and fabrication sectors and we are very proud to see Orbital’s O2 turbine launched today.”

Also speaking of the launch, John Alexander, Leader of Dundee City Council said: “I’m very proud of the role that Dundee has played in helping to deliver this pioneering tidal turbine and congratulate the team at Orbital Marine and TEXO for their incredible efforts during the hardest year in recent memory.

The turbine transferred from the quayside in Dundee into the River Tay using a submersible barge. Orbital Marine Power

“Orbital Marine’s incredible piece of engineering will play a pivotal role in showcasing this technology and helping Scotland to achieve its ambition in tackling the climate emergency, further propelling Dundee into a city which is transforming itself into a hub for renewables and innovation.”

The O2 turbine has a 74m long hull structure with twin 1MW power generating nacelles at the end of retractable leg structures designed to give low-cost access to all major components for through life servicing. 10m blades give the O2 more than 600m² of swept area to capture flowing tidal energy.

The floating structure is held on station with a four-point mooring system where each mooring chain has the capacity to lift more than 50 double decker buses.

The O2 has been designed so that installation of the turbine, and all its associated moorings, can be carried out by low-cost work vessels and servicing can be carried out by RIB vessels – minimising downtime and lowering construction and operational costs.

Electricity is transferred from the turbine via a dynamic cable to the seabed and a static cable along the seabed to the local onshore electricity network.

It’s hoped this turbine will be the first of many to be manufactured in Scotland and a potential catalyst to export the technology around the world.