Call for expression of interest: Renewable Marine Energies – tidal turbine test-farm
In the framework of the program « Investing for the future », the French government selected on 02nd December 2014, two projects for the call for expression of interest “Marine Renewable Energies – Tidal turbine test-farm”.
Launched by the French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) in April 2014, this public project plans the construction of tidal tubine test-fams at the end of 2015 on two different sites, the Alderney Race in Lower-Normandy and Fromveur in Britanny.
Tidal power, which converts the kinetic energy of aquatic currents into electricity, plays an important role in the renewable energy development. This call for expression of interest aims to assist the setting-up of tidal turbine test-farms in real situation of production connected to the grid. It will be a first worldwide as there is no grid-connected tidal turbine farm yet.
Test-farms are a key stage to confirm the sustainability of these projects on the technological as well as the economical level. It should be noted that resistance to corrosion and antifouling protection, know-how of Corrodys, are key factors to reduce operating costs of the future tidal turbine farms.
Applicants to the call for expression of interest
Several industrial consortiums applied for the project with different innovative technologies:
- CMN, Hydroquest, Valorem
- Sabella
- Alstom and GDF Suez
- DCNS and EDF Energies Nouvelles
- Siemens and UNITe
- Voith Hydro and GDF Suez
Selected projects
On 2nd December 2014, the ADEME announced the selected groups, which are :
- Nepthyd (Normandie Energie PiloTe HYDrolien) with the Oceade TM tidal turbines of ALSTOM, operated by GDF-Suez
- Normandie Hydro, with OpenHydro tidal turbines (DCNS) operated by EDF Energies Nouvelles.
The total amount of the financial support for the two selected projects is 103 M€, for a 210M€ project (on 20 years), including investment and operating costs.
The tidal turbine farms are scheduled to start operating in 2018. It offers new opportunities for industrial development (with the creation of a new sector) and jobs.
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