The Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) has been given offshore consent by the UK Government’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO); this was granted on the 20th of April 2016. The 30MW PTEC project is the only consented tidal array project in English waters. With the onshore part of the project given local planning consent in September 2015 and a grid connection secured, PTEC can now advance towards construction which is currently anticipated to commence in 2017 with the possibility of energy generation occurring as early as 2018.
PTEC will commercially operate a range of different world-leading turbine technologies in a five square kilometre area off St Catherine’s Point, the southernmost tip of the Isle of Wight. A number of tidal turbine manufacturers have already expressed interest in partnering with PTEC to install their turbines. Once operational, PTEC will generate sufficient clean electricity to power more than 15,000 homes.
IT Power undertook the Front End Engineering Design studies for the project’s core infrastructure, working closely with Royal HaskoningDHV, who led PTEC’s consenting works, including the environmental impact assessment.
In response to the news Joe Hussey, IT Power’s Head of Offshore Renewable Energy, said
We are delighted that PTEC has successfully passed this landmark milestone. The PTEC project is of national significance and a flagship development for the UK’s tidal energy industry. We are proud to have supported PTEC’s development over the past 4 years and send our congratulations to the entire team who have worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this project.
Mark Francis, PTEC Project Director, said:
PTEC is of strategic importance to the UK’s tidal industry as it delivers a fully consented site for a range of turbine technologies, deployed in large commercial arrays. By allowing multiple turbine technologies to use the same site and share the same consents and infrastructure, we can simultaneously bring down the cost of energy and accelerate the growth of the tidal industry.
