SCHOTTEL HYDRO supplies to world's largest tidal energy project MeyGen

6th July 2015

SCHOTTEL HYDRO will manufacture and deliver the variable pitch hub for the AR1500 turbine for Phase 1a of the MeyGen tidal energy project under contract to Lockheed Martin. The MeyGen Phase 1a AR1500, a 1.5 MW seabed mounted turbine, is being designed and delivered by Atlantis Resources and Lockheed Martin. The MeyGen project intends to generate up to 398 MW with offshore tidal turbines by the early 2020s.

The AR1500 will have an approximate rotor diameter of 18 meters - asking for a strong and robust hub to accommodate the essential pitch mechanism. SCHOTTEL HYDRO provides this hub with a housing diameter of 2.4 meters and a weight of approximately 35 tons. The active pitch mechanism inside adjusts the rotor blades to the flow and thus adds to the optimum alignment of the full yaw turbine.

"Taking part in this project is a great honor for us and our work," says Jens-Henning Bernstein, project manager at SCHOTTEL HYDRO. "For this project we especially build on the success of the turbine shaft, hub and pitch mechanism including hydraulics and controls we provided to the first Hammerfest HS1000 turbine in 2011." SCHOTTEL HYDRO will deliver the hub in early 2016, and the installation of the AR1500 is planned for later the same year.

A landmark for the tidal energy industry
MeyGen, owned by tidal power pioneer Atlantis Resources, is located in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, a strait upstream of northern Scotland, with strong tidal currents.

In addition to turbine installations, the first project phase also includes the construction of the onshore infrastructure to support the project. Each turbine will have its own connection to shore by cables running in horizontal directional drilled bores through the seabed. The cables terminate in a Power Conversion Centre where the electricity will be transformed and exported directly to the UK National Grid.

"MeyGen is an important step forward for the emerging global tidal energy business," says Niels A. Lange, managing director at SCHOTTEL HYDRO. "And the AR1500 will be a milestone for the harvesting of instream tidal energy."