Hebrides News

Wave farm plans are axed                21/12/12

Plans for the “world’s biggest wave farm” off the westside of Lewis have been axed.

Inverness-based developer Voith Hydro Wavegen said the lack of clarity over the sub-sea grid connection cable to export the electricity from the Hebrides to southern markets was a major issue in dropping the £150,000 million project at Shader, Barvas on Lewis.

The firm’s chief executive Matthew Seed highlighted the revenue for marine renewable generators is unknown for energy schemes starting after 2017.

Difficulties in securing commercial investment to build the major 30 megawatt development is a third issue.

Mr Seed said: “There is too much uncertainty - revenue, grid and finance.”

The significant project development risks without a definite timescale to get resolved meant: “We cannot see a path to get the project away at the moment.”

“Overall, the market needs to improve,” he said.

The project was designed to create a harbour by incorporating a series of generators into a 1176-metre long breakwater to absorb the power of heavy Atlantic rollers.

The enclosure would have created a sheltered quay for local leisure and creel boats and was hailed as a great example of Scottish leadership in renewable energy.

The action of the waves would generate electricity by pumping air up and down the interior of concrete towers to drive turbines.

The technology used is called “oscillating water column.”  

Designs for the proposed wave powered turbines were tested at  the developer’s wave-tank in Inverness.

A smaller wave scheme has already won planning permission.

The four MW project won a £6 Scottish Government grant and was dubbed the “world’s biggest wave farm” as it was the largest capacity scheme in progress when it received planning permission in 2009.

Since then the number of proposed generators were increased and the scheme rammed up to 30 MW capacity, in a strategy to make it more investable, after a major backer, RWE npower renewables, pulled out.

A separate developer, Aquamarine Power is developing a different system for its 40MW floating marine energy array, also off the coast of west Lewis, and it hopes to gain planning permission in 2013.