The Scottish Government’s Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund has awarded MeyGen Plc a £1.545 million grant to develop a subsea tidal turbine connection hub for the next phase of development of the MeyGen tidal power array, the world’s largest tidal stream power project.

SIMEC Atlantis Energy Limited (Atlantis), which owns the majority share in MeyGen, said the awarded funding will be used to design, procure, install, connect and commission the subsea hub and associated subsea connection infrastructure, which is a key enabler for future array phases, as it will deliver cost reductions in power production by connecting multiple turbines to a single export cable.

The technology leverages the innovative design of the Atlantis turbine wet mate connection system, which enables rapid and automatic connection and disconnection of power and communication infrastructure offshore without any intervention. This grant award will prove the application and benefits of subsea hub for the global tidal power industry. Once proven, the hub will be made available to project developers to help to achieve cost-competitive commercial deployment across the sector.

As a result of the grant award, the Atlantis’ Turbine and Engineering Services Division (ATES) will be awarded a £2.4 million Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract (EPC Contract) for delivery and installation of the subsea hub by the MeyGen project company on the MeyGen project site in the Pentland Firth, Scotland.

The subsea hub, which will be assembled and tested in Scotland, will be installed later this year.

The Saltire Tidal Energy Fund is a £10 million fund supporting the commercial deployment of tidal energy generation in Scottish waters through driving innovation and a reduction in the cost of electricity generated.