Edinburgh-based SIMEC Atlantis Energy Ltd has signed a contract to supply tidal-energy generating equipment and offshore construction services to Kyuden Mirai Energy (KME) for a demonstration project in Japan.

Located in the straits of Naru Island (in the southern Japanese Goto island chain), the project has a total budget of 1,800 million yen and will seek to capitalise on Japan’s abundance of tidal resources — the prefecture of Nagasaki has over 900 islands located in tidal waters.

The Atlantis Turbine and Engineering Services Division (ATES) will supply and install an AR-series turbine and other equipment in a demonstration capacity, operating at a reduced output of around 500kW as a data collection and validation device for the client and Japanese regulatory bodies.

It expects to install the tidal generator by the end of 2020, with the demonstration project up and running early the following year.

Tim Cornelius, CEO of SIMEC Atlantis Energy (www.simecatlantis.com), said: “SIMEC Atlantis has been at the forefront of marine energy for the past decade, building a strong portfolio of projects across Europe and around the world.

“Japan’s decarbonisation ambitions and world-leading tidal resource combine to create huge potential for our tidal generation systems in the future.

“This is our largest awarded export contract to date.”