Phase one of the UK’s MeyGen tidal-stream power project is expected to enter its 25-year operational phase within weeks according to its developer, Atlantis Resources.

Commissioning has begun on the 6MW first phase of the project in Scotland’s Pentland Firth, after re-installation of the fourth 1.5MW turbine was completed in mid-October (the project’s three Andritz Hydro Hammerfest turbines and one Atlantis turbine were ‘un-installed’ earlier this year for system upgrades).

According to Atlantis (www.atlantisresourcesltd.com), the installation’s total production has now surpassed 2.6GWhr, with over 800MWhr despatched to the grid in September. On completion, the array’s first phase is expected to power 2,600 households.

Phase 1B will involve the installation of another four 1.5MW turbines, while in phase 1C Atlantis aims to add 49 (73.5MW) turbines at an estimated cost of £420 million, with installation planned to begin in 2019.

The turbines sit on individual foundations weighing up to 350 tonnes, coupled with six ballast blocks weighing 1,200 tonnes that provide horizontal stability.

Each turbine is connected to an onshore power conversion unit at the Ness of Quoys, where the low-voltage supply is converted to 33kV and fed into the local grid.

Atlantis Resources CEO Tim Cornelius said his firm had “asked the Government to enter into a bilateral negotiation for 80MW of capacity, to allow us to proceed with the construction of Phase 1C of the MeyGen project without further delay”.