| World news UK £20 million a year funding boost announced for tidal energy in the UK
The tidal energy industry in the UK is set to benefit from a £20 million per year investment recently announced by the Government. The investment has been pledged as part of the UK Governments
flagship renewable energy auction scheme. As part of the fourth allocation round of the Contracts for Difference Scheme opened in December 2021, £20 million per year will be ringfenced for Tidal Stream projects, bringing the total funding for this allocation round to £285 million per year UK-wide. The funding will give the marine energy sector a chance to develop their technology and lower their costs in a similar way to the offshore wind industry. “As an island nation we are perfectly placed to capitalise on clean marine energy, building on our booming offshore wind sector which is now a British industrial success story,” commented Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. “We hope to see marine energy follow in the successful footprints of other renewable technologies, where we’ve seen costs fall dramatically in recent years thanks to UK government support. “The investment provides a major push for tidal power to become
a key part of the next generation of renewable electricity projects needed to strengthen energy security as we work to reduce our dependency on volatile fossil fuels.” The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the government’s primary method of encouraging investment in low-carbon electricity. The scheme has helped to deliver substantial new investment and reductions in the costs of capital for some renewable technologies, such as helping to reduce the price of offshore wind by 65%. The fourth round of the Contracts for Difference Scheme opened
on 13 December 2021. The UK government launched this auction process with the ambition of supporting up to 12GW low-carbon electricity capacity – more than the last three rounds combined. The news has been welcomed by industry, who have been calling for a dedicated pot of funding for tidal power. “This is a major step forward for the UK’s world-leading tidal energy industry, allowing us to ramp up the roll-out of our cutting-edge marine technologies and increase the pace of innovation in the sector to become more cost competitive,” said CEO of Renewable UK, Dan McGrail. “Ring-fenced funding for tidal stream doesn’t just unlock private investment and secure green jobs today - it also puts us in pole position to capitalise on exports to the global market in due course. “We need a range of renewable technologies to get us to net zero as fast as possible. As an island nation with superb tidal energy resources to harness, it’s clear that tidal stream should have a key role to play in our shift to clean energy.” “The impact of this support cannot be overstated,” added Chair of the UK Marine Energy Council, Sue Barr. “Here in the UK we have the knowledge, skills, people and projects to lead the world in marine energy, but we have been missing a vital piece of the puzzle to unlock investment and allow the sector to scale-up and deliver. The marine energy sector stretches the length and breadth of the UK - from the Isle of Wight to Orkney and Shetland. “This dedicated ringfence will secure our domestic market, support decarbonisation and will enable tidal stream energy to develop; delivering export opportunities, green jobs, and economic growth in the process.”
Canada
Muskrat Falls integrated into provincial electricity system The 824MW Muskrat Falls Hydroelectric Generating Station, a key part of the Lower Churchill Project in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, is now complete and has been released to the Newfoundland and Labrador System Operator (NLSO) for service. The Muskrat Falls Corporation received notice of acceptance of the commissioning certificate by the Independent Engineer, who provides oversight on behalf of the Federal Government, late Thursday, November 25. While the Labrador-Island Link (LIL) is not yet commissioned, Muskrat Falls will provide power over LIL throughout this winter as it is available. LIL availability provides additional assurance for customer reliability, even at partial capacity. “While we do not require power from Muskrat
Falls to serve customers this winter, we will use as much power as possible to reduce the fuel costs at Holyrood and reduce carbon emissions,” said Jennifer Williams, President and CEO of Hydro. “But, there is still more work to be done to conclude all aspects of the project, even as we take this step toward final project completion. We want to see this project complete. Our customers want to see this project complete. We continue to work diligently toward completion of our final milestone throughout the winter.”
Albania
Mott MacDonald starts work on Skavica project
Mott MacDonald has announced it is supporting development of the preliminary designs for a new hydroelectric project in Skavica, Albania. Working with lead contractor Bechtel, Mott MacDonald is developing hydrological, geotechnical, seismic and engineering technical studies and will recommend a preferred layout for the scheme. The firm will also produce a front- end-engineering and design study which will contribute to the project’s cost estimate. A comprehensive BIM structure will be used
to manage the project throughout the delivery process. Standard LiDAR, photogrammetry and other digital data collection techniques will be used to support the development of the scheme proposals and input into the BIM models. The hydroelectric project is to be owned and operated by Korporata Elektroenergjitike Shqiptare (KESH) – the Albanian Power Corporation, which operates around 79% of the country’s generation capacity.
Albania’s electricity generation is primarily based on hydropower. On average, Albania’s existing hydropower plants generate about five TWH while the country consumes around seven TWH. Albania therefor continues to be a net importer of electricity, but the new plant will increase power production by 20%, while also
regulating the three pre-existing hydropower plants on the river Drin. “This project represents a low carbon solution
to providing for Albania’s growing energy needs,” said Ajay Chaudhary, Account Leader, Mott MacDonald. “At the same time, it will improve the region’s resilience to flooding, the risk of which is increasing because of climate change.” The design of the plant will be complicated by the seismic and tectonic activity in the region, as well as the challenges associated with a lack of access roads leading to the site. Phase 1 of the project is estimated to be completed in November 2022. The construction of the new hydroelectric project is expected to take around four years.
US
NJIT signs deal to purchase energy from hydro facilities The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in the US has signed a deal that will see it purchase renewable energy from a portfolio of hydropower facilities to cover nearly 100% of its forecasted electricity consumption. ENGIE Resources, a subsidiary of ENGIE North America, and Premier Energy Group jointly designed a unique solution that will help NJIT achieve its pursuit of and progress toward making sustainability an institutional learning
www.waterpowermagazine.com | January 2022 | 5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37
