Atlantis Resources is to decommission its landmark 1.2MW SeaGen S tidal device after seven years of operation at Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough.
The Edinburgh outfit, which acquired SeaGen manufacturer Marine Current Turbines from Siemens last April, has set a target date of June to begin the 12-month decommissioning process.
The grid-connected device featuring two 600kW turbines was installed in summer 2008. MCT was initially given consent by Northern Ireland authorities to operate SeaGen for five years, later extending the lease.
Atlantis said it has now decided to decommission the device, which to date has generated 10GWh, to focus on the next generation of 1MW SeaGen tidal turbine.
Atlantis director of power generation Stephen Ward said: “Both SeaGen S 600kW turbines have operated as an essential research and design platform, providing our team with a wealth of data and key engineering and environmental data.
“The lessons learnt from SeaGen have used in the development the next generation of the SeaGen 1MW tidal turbine.”
Ward added: “This year, we will embark on the next stage of the R&D process and focus on decommissioning. This operation will be the first commercial scale turbine development to be decommissioned and will help us to understand the complete life-cycle of a tidal stream development.”