Meygen Returns To Caithness To Update Locals On Progress

20th October 2014

MeyGen Ltd's Chief Executive Officer Mr Dan Pearson to speak in public about progress with its Marine Power Station on 22nd October 2014.

Mr Dan Pearson, the Chief Executive Officer of MeyGen Ltd, is to address folk in North East Caithness from the platform at Mey Village Hall, in NE Caithness, on the evening of Wednesday October 22nd at 7:30 pm.

The 'open to the public' meeting is being hosted by the Dunnet & Canisbay Community Council and Mr Pearson may be accompanied by other executives of the MeyGen team when outlining its plans for turbines to be immersed on the seabed of the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound and the related on-shore infrastructure.

Two years ago, following his last 'open' session in Canisbay Hall, Mr Pearson had promised D. & C. CC's chairman Mr John Green that he would return at a suitable future date to keep local folk 'in the loop' over the progress of his MeyGen's team towards its trail-blazing renewable-energy goal.

The company, now 86% owned by Atlantis Resources plc, aims to develop the UK's first ... and so far, world's largest ... marine energy power station generating electricity by 'harvesting' the kinetic energy contained within the fast-flowing tidal streams of the Inner Sound, using recently-devised 'horizontal hydro-electric' technology .

Recently MeyGen announced that it was going ahead almost immediately with its plans for a 4-turbine 'Demonstration Array' in the Sound, the narrow sea-passage between Gills Bay and Stroma Island.

Specifically its site lies due North from a line joining Warse to Seater, both Canisbay, in waters between 30 and 35 metres deep, just over one mile off the Coast.

Mr Pearson has had personal responsibility for raising over £50 Million from a joint public and private sector syndicate to allow the project to commence in earnest.

The MeyGen CEO has been widely praised within the nascent 'tidal electricity' industry for successfully concluding the complex negotiations last month (09.2014) that let will allow its Phase 1A to proceed. This is the 'Demonstration Array' of four X 1.5 MW turbines; three will be supplied by Andritz Hydro Hammerfest ,with one Lockheed Martin-designed turbine that Altantis will supply to its subsidiary.

Subsea cables will take the generated electricity ashore to the Ness of Quoys, on Gills Bay's coast near Canisbay's ancient Kirk, where it will be 'converted' to a format compatible with onward distribution. The company hopes that on-shore electrical works, under a contract with 114,000 employee ABB Group, will be able to start within the next few weeks.

It expects that the turbines will be emplaced on the seabed during 2015 and 2016 on its 25-year lease site from the Crown Estate.

Meygen also recently signed a 10-year 'power purchase agreement' with Smartest Energy for electricity sales that includes payments made under 'Renewable Obligation Certificates' scheme..

Recently Mr Pearson moved with other MeyGen executives from London to Edinburgh. The UK headquarters of Atlantis Resources (Scotland) Ltd and the MeyGen Project Office opened in mid-July, 2014, at 90A George Street , Edinburgh, EH2 3DF.