Meygen Sets World Record For Tidal Stream Electricity In Pentland Firth

13th April 2018

MeyGen Phase 1A completes construction phase and officially enters 25 year operations phase.

Atlantis, a global leader in the marine power generation sector, is proud to announce that Phase 1A of the MeyGen project has now completed the construction phase and has formally entered the 25 year operations phase. At 6MW rated capacity, MeyGen is the world's largest tidal stream array.

This achievement follows on from an extended period of array operation since the turbines were reinstalled in 2017. The array has generated approximately 6GWh of energy to date and in March set a new world record for monthly production from a tidal stream array, generating 1,400MWh.

The completion of the construction of Phase 1A combined with the ongoing production and reliability levels achieved help to progress the viability of tidal stream energy as a clean and predictable energy source.

Atlantis have an international portfolio of opportunities for further tidal array projects. The MeyGen project alone has 392MW of further development capacity, with consents and grid connection agreements in place to pave the way to exploit more of this potential.

Tim Cornelius, Atlantis CEO and MeyGen Chairman, said:"Seeing the MeyGen project move into the operations phase is another major milestone on the path to commercialising tidal stream energy.

We would like to thank all our funders, contractors and shareholders for their unwavering support and belief in the project over the years. I would especially like to thank Scottish Enterprise, Highland and Islands Enterprise, Crown Estate Scotland, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Morgan Stanley and Engie. We would also like to highlight the invaluable contributions made by the two turbine suppliers, the highly skilled local supply chain in Scotland and the MeyGen project team. Their commitment and dedication to deliver the project from concept design to commercial operation over the years has been truly exceptional.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement and this provides a solid platform for building out the full capacity at MeyGen and many other similar sites worldwide. This achievement is a triumph of public policy and a demonstration of what can be achieved when government and the private sector roll their sleeves up and decide to create a whole new industry together."