Ocean Kinetics, Green Marine UK complete OpenHydro Decommissioning
Ocean Kinetics and Green Marine completed the decommissioning of OpenHydro’s pioneering tidal energy platform at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.A joint venture partnership was formed in April to deliver the decommissioning contract, combining Ocean Kinetics’ divers, riggers, welders and ROV services, and Green Marine’s offshore management, vessel, moorings and cable experience, with shared responsibility for operational engineering, cutting and heavy-lift operations.Key work included dismantling the platform’s steel superstructure - including two
New JV Starts Decom Ops for OpenHydro’s Tidal Energy Test Platform Off Orkney
Scottish firms Ocean Kinetics and Green Marine (UK) have formed a joint venture partnership to decommission OpenHydro’s tidal energy platform in the Orkney Islands.Work is rapidly advancing to remove the steel superstructure installed in 2006 at the European Marine Energy Centre’s (EMEC’s) Fall of Warness test site which OpenHydro used to streamline its tidal turbine technology development.EMEC awarded the decommissioning contract in early April.The OpenHydro test rig consisted of two steel piles drilled and grouted into the seabed, with a steel superstructure attached to the piles
European Commission Okays French Backing of Tidal Energy Test Site
energy to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure will contribute to the EU's energy and climate goals without unduly distorting market competition, the Commission said.The Normandie Hydro plant is a demonstration plant for producing electricity from tidal energy. It will be developed by OpenHydro and operated by EDF EN and will be located at Raz Blanchard, west of the Cotentin peninsula, on the English Channel. The demonstration plant will comprise seven turbines with a power generation capacity of 14 megawatts. The turbines will have a rotor diameter of 16 meters and will be installed
Tidal Stream Marches on in Europe
On July 26, Naval Energies announced the cessation of its investments in tidal stream, forcing the liquidation of its tidal stream subsidiary, OpenHydro.“The liquidation of OpenHydro is disappointing news, yet closures are part of pioneering and innovating in a brand new industrial sector, on the road to commercialization,” said Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe.“Today, numerous tidal stream projects are consistently producing power around Europe. Costs are coming down fast with every new project, and the EU has set targets for tidal to reach 10€c/kWh by 2030, well
French Tidal Energy Project Clears another Hurdle
EU competition regulators approved on Thursday French support for an EDF-operated tidal energy project, saying the scheme was in line with the bloc's energy and climate goals.The Normandie Hydro plant, located at Raz Blanchard on the English channel and to be developed by OpenHydro, will be made up of seven turbines with a power generation capacity of 14 megawatts.French authorities will provide operating and investment aid, part of which will be repayable advances that will be reimbursed if the technology is successful."The Commission found that the project promotes market penetration of a
Gougeon Named CEO at OpenHydro
OpenHydro, the Irish based tidal energy company and part of DCNS Energies, has appointed Patrick Gougeon as its new Chief Executive Officer. The appointment signals the company’s ongoing drive towards commercialization of its tidal technology and follows the launch of DCNS Energies, a subsidiary of the DCNS Group which recently secured €100 million in investment. Gougeon joined OpenHydro at the start of January 2017, having previously held the position of CEO of Colibrys, a high-technology industrial company based in Switzerland. He is an engineer from the French Ecole Centrale de
New Marine Energy Business Launched
DCNS and BpiFrance announce the launch of DCNS Energies, a new marine energy business; €100 million equity investment into new marine energy subsidiary DCNS, the parent company of OpenHydro and the European leader in naval defense, has announced the creation of DCNS Energies a new marine energy business which will be fully financed by a fund managed by Bpifrance and supported by Technip and BNP Paribas development groups. DCNS Energies, majority owned by DCNS and 36 percent by the SPI fund ("Société de Projets Industriels" / Industrial Projects
DCNS Predicts Turning Point for Tidal Power
is 35 percent owned by defence group Thales and 64 percent by the French state, builds warships and submarines but aims to sell its first commercial tidal power system in four years and wants to get up to 25 percent of its sales from renewable marine energies by 2025. The firm bought Ireland's OpenHydro, which generates power from turbines installed on the sea bed, in 2013 and is working on pilot projects in France, Canada, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It has installed two 16-metre tidal turbines in Paimpol-Brehat, Brittany, for utility EDF which will be connected to the grid this summer.
Defining Optimum Operational Speeds for Tidal Turbines
It is crucial for OpenHydro to obtain precise current, wave and turbulence information as they are delivering two of the world’s first grid connected tidal arrays. Tidal turbine manufacturer OpenHydro Technology Ltd, a DCNS company, have opted for Nortek’s Signature instrumentation to aide in their understanding of the environment in which its 16 meter diameter tidal turbines operate. Two such turbines have already been deployed on EDF’s Paimpol-Bréhat project in France. Two more turbines are in the final stages of completion and will be deployed in the Bay
February 2025
