EMEC on a new scale

The final pieces of the jigsaw are falling into place for EMEC’s new nursery test sites.

Funding from the UK’s Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), is supporting the creation of new nursery berths in Orkney, for both tidal and wave machines. The aim is to provide facilities where prototype marine energy technologies can undergo sea trials in more gentle conditions than those experienced at the main wave and tidal test sites operated by EMEC. The smaller scale wave site will be within Scapa Flow, Northwest of St Mary’s Bay, and tidal site near the Shapinsay Sound, off Head of Holland.

Specially designed testing support buoys will be installed at each of the new scale sites: for gathering data, and dissipating electricity generated by the machines whilst they are tested. The 7m diameter buoys will soon be another marine energy feature in Orkney when they are shipped from Inverness where the final stability tests are to be completed this week.

EMEC will also be installing gravity base anchors, which have been fabricated here in Orkney by Currie Brothers, for mooring points on both the sites. The vessel Fiona F will be arriving to commence these works on 25 February (Friday).

‘We are looking forward to seeing these buoys and containers arrive in Orkney. ABMAS Engineering, Venture Marine Contractors, and Gael Force Marine Engineering, have designed and arranged the build of the buoys and power electronics containers’ said Stuart Baird, EMEC’s Operations Director. ‘The buoys will each form the core of the nursery test sites and take the place of the cables and substations that EMEC have at their full scale sites. Using equipment aboard the buoys to measure and then dissipate any electricity generated will allow small scale devices to be tested more simply than on the full scale sites.’

The buoys will initially be kept ashore until EMEC is ready to take them to sea for a developer to use.