E.ON and Lunar Energy to Build Tidal Stream Power Stations

E.ON and Lunar Energy are to develop a tidal stream power project of up to 8MW in the sea off the U.K. west coast. The multi-million pound project would be one of the largest commercial scale tidal stream energy plants of its kind in the world, capable of producing enough power for up to 5,000 homes.

The proposed scheme will use tidal streams, which are fast-moving currents created by rising and falling tides, to turn an array of large turbines situated on the sea floor.

Dr Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, said: "As we look to battle global warming we have to take advantage of a range of new technologies to reduce our carbon emissions.

"This pioneering scheme shows that we at E.ON are looking to change the way that we approach energy in the UK.

"A tidal stream scheme on this scale, which will be one of the largest of its kind in the world, will allow us to both better understand how to harness the power of the tides and, just as importantly, to develop a new way of generating clean, reliable and plentiful power.

"And this is not the only innovative investment we've announced recently as part of our £3bn investment programme over the next three years.

"We're currently building the UK's largest dedicated biomass power station in Scotland, are studying the possibility of building a clean coal power station in Lincolnshire and have started work on the world's largest offshore wind farm in the Solway Firth."

William Law, Chairman of Lunar Energy, said: "Today is a significant milestone in our programme to establish a UK-led sustainable energy industry, which will offer predictable and sustainable energy in an environmentally friendly manner.

"In the last six years Lunar Energy and our technology partner Rotech Engineering have made pivotal and significant advances in marine turbine technology and we are delighted that E.ON has recognised this by choosing our Rotech Tidal Turbine for this first commercial field. This cutting edge technology has worldwide implications for the global provision of renewable energy and comes with a base power source that is both predictable and free."

Early feasibility studies have been completed and the partnership is reviewing a short list of potential sites for the scheme off the west coast. It is anticipated that the plant would be operational by 2010.

E.ON's investment in tidal energy forms part of a £3bn investment plan in the UK that includes:

•  The continuing development of around 1,300MW of wind farms, both on- and offshore
•  Developing one of the UK's first wave power projects off the North Coast of Cornwall
•  Building the UK's largest dedicated biomass power station at Steven's Croft in
   Lockerbie
•  New gas-fired power stations at the Isle of Grain in Kent (which was given government
   permission in October) and at Drakelow in Derbyshire
•  New £1bn cleaner coal-fired units at Killingholme in Kent
•  A feasibility study into a world-leading clean coal power station at Killingholme in
   Lincolnshire
•  £1.2bn of improvements to the electricity distribution network in central England

E.ON UK is also one of the companies involved in a consortium aiming to build one of the world's largest wind farms - the London Array - off the Kent and Essex coasts. The 1,000MW development would be able to supply power to around a quarter of homes in Greater London.

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Posted 20/03/07

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