Projects:
West coast, Orkney
We have been granted, in partnership with SSE Renewables, an
exclusive lease option on an area of seabed off the west coast of
Orkney. This allows us to start working with stakeholders on
the first phase of our proposed Oyster wave farm.
We are currently conducting technical and environmental surveys
to assess the feasibility of installing Oyster wave energy devices
along a stretch of Orkney's coastline from Costa Head in the north
to Neban Point in the south-west.
Working with local communities
In conjunction with our survey work, we are following statutory
environmental impact assessment and permitting processes.
These processes will ensure our proposed Oyster wave power project
is developed sensitively and with due consideration to the local
environment and community. We are working in close consultation
with key local stakeholders and government bodies and will continue
to do so as our proposed project progresses.
We have appointed Orkney-based environmental consultancy
Xodus Environment to independently assess any potential
environmental impact of our proposed Oyster wave power project and
to work with us to mitigate any such impact. We are
also working with a number of local surveyors to collect baseline
data on the local bird and marine mammal populations present in the
area.
World's first seabed leasing round
Aquamarine Power was awarded the exclusive lease option on this
area of seabed in partnership with SSE Renewables in March 2010 as
part of The Crown Estate's Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters leasing
round. This leasing round was the world's first seabed
leasing round, which was designed to enable marine energy
developers such as Aquamarine Power to investigate the potential
for the installation of marine energy devices around Britain's
coastline. The Crown Estate owns the seabed around Britain out to
12 nautical miles.
We are working in partnership with SSE Renewables under the
joint venture name Brough Head Wave Farm Limited (BHWFL). SSE
Renewables is part of SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc).
Milestones
- 200MW seabed leaseSecured Lease Option Agreement from Crown Estate, March 2010
- Environmental monitoringMonitoring of wildlife began July 2009; ongoing
- Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping ReportSubmitted to Marine Scotland August 2011
- Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping OpinionReceived from Marine Scotland on 21 November 2011
SULA Diving has been working with Aquamarine Power since 2006 carrying out seabed surveys and deploying Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers to measure wave conditions. We are glad to be working with Aquamarine Power in the early stages of the marine renewables industry and appreciate that they recognised our local knowledge and expertise and choose to work with us local companies whenever they can.
Bobby Forbes, Manager
SULA Diving, Stromness, Orkney
ORCA has built a strong working relationship with Aquamarine Power since we began providing archaeological and geophysical consultancy services for them in 2009. At ORCA we have worked hard to build a reputation for integrity and trust. It's great to work with an organisation like Aquamarine Power whose values align with our own.
Nick Card, Senior Project Manager
Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology, Kirkwall, Orkney