British engineering companies will play a major role in producing the huge turbines that will generate environment-friendly energy in a £1 billion project to harness the power of the tide.
Tidal Lagoon Power, which plans to build a huge lagoon in Swansea Bay that will allow power to be generated from the movement of the sea, has announced that the General Electric-Andritz Hydro consortium will be awarded a £300 million contract to build the 16 turbines required by the scheme.
As part of the contract, GE and Andritz, which are headquartered in the USA and Austria respectively, have committed to producing most of the turbines’ major components in the UK, along with the generators they contain.
The generators — the highest-value component of the turbines — will be built at GE’s plant in Rugby. The turbines generate power by taking advantage of the rise and fall of the tide in Swansea Bay, which at 20-30ft is one of the highest in the world.
The turbines, each 60ft long and 20ft in diameter, are rotated by the water flowing through them as the tide rises to fill the lagoon. They are rotated in the reverse direction as the lagoon drains when the tide recedes. Each turbine can produces 20MW of power and — subject to planning approval — will come into service in 2019.
The Swansea lagoon, which would be the first of its kind, will be able to generate enough energy to power 155,000 homes — and act as a proof of concept for five larger lagoons around the UK that together could provide 8% of the UK’s energy.
Each of these projects will need more than 60 of the 700-tonne turbines, creating a new manufacturing sector in the UK with the potential for new export markets.
Stephen Crabb, Secretary of State for Wales, said: “If planning consent is granted, this project has the potential to transform the South Wales economy by creating hundreds of jobs and countless supply chain opportunities for local businesses across the region.
“It would also help to secure our nation’s energy future and position Wales as a pioneer in low-carbon technology. That’s why I am right behind this scheme and want to see it built in Wales.”