MeyGen
Pentland Firth
Project Status
Completed
Project Sector
Renewables
Client
MeyGen / SAE
The world's largest subsea tidal generation array.
The Pentland Firth, a narrow passage of water between Caithness and Orkney has some of the fastest tides in British waters. With clockwork reliability, 4 tides per day provide predictable water flow at a speed of 10 knots. MeyGen obtained consent for up to 398MW of turbines situated on the seabed. Phase 1 was to some extent experimental with 6MW of generation. In 2010, we were asked to assist in developing a design for the onshore Power Conversion Unit Buildings for this new and innovative tidal stream project in these fast-moving waters.
Working closely with MeyGen and Xodus in preparing the EIA and LVIA, we developed a design for the first phase of the project. Once planning consent had been secured, we were novated to ABB as the architects for the building warrant and construction phases.
The building had many challenges. Situated right on the coast in an aggressive marine environment meant that salt resistant materials needed to be selected. The equipment within the building creates a lot of heat so cooling the building was essential but at the same time protecting the sensitive equipment from the salt air and providing sound attenuation was a conflicting challenge that required care and attention to detail.
The building was completed and commissioned in 2016 and became operational in 2017. By March 2023, the first phase has produced over 51GWh of renewable electricity and more is planned for the future.
