News / Isles firm to make blades for tidal turbines
A SHETLAND company is to manufacture blades for a bank of tidal turbines that will power 300 homes, the Scottish Government announced at the weekend.
Deputy first minister John Swinney revealed that Shetland Composites secured the six-month contract from Edinburgh-based Nova Innovation, which is developing five 100kW tidal turbines known as the Shetland Tidal Array.
The project is sited in Bluemull Sound between Yell and Unst and the turbines, which sit more than 100 feet below the waves, will be developed in two phases with commissioning of the first three devices by the end of 2015.
The device has a rotating turbine, which is spun by the power of the tide – driving a generator that produces electricity, which is then transmitted to the shore via a subsea cable.
Shetland Compsoites was awarded £69,774 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the extension of its Lerwick workshop premises.
Scottish Enterprise and the renewable energy investment fund (REIF) are supporting Nova Innovation with £1.9 million of grants and loans for the tidal array project.
Earlier this year, the company deployed the world’s first community-owned tidal turbine in Shetland.
Swinney said the contract was “great news” for the local economy and pledged that the SNP government would “do everything we can to ensure Scotland benefits from the significant economic opportunities the renewables industry presents”.
Nova Innovation managing director Simon Forrest said the company was “delighted” to award the contract to Shetland Composites.
“It represents a significant milestone for the world’s first tidal array and builds on years of expert co-operation between our two companies,” he said.
Fred Gibson of Shetland Composites said it was “a big step” for the company: “Up until now most of our work in the marine renewable sector has been in the development of prototype devices. Now finally these projects are scaling up and becoming commercially viable.
“The funding from HIE has been hugely important in helping the company realise its expansion plans. The extension will increase capacity which means we can take on more work and recruit two additional employees.”
Shetland Islands Council development committee chairman Alastair Cooper said the local authority had supported Shetland Composites’ growth over the years.
“I am delighted to now see a Shetland business involved at the forefront of the tidal energy industry in Scotland,” Cooper said.
“Fred Gibson and his team have a successful business and have worked hard on many high quality projects to get the company to a stage where it can now secure contracts for significant work like this.”
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