Shetland Tidal Array First Phase Commissioning Successful

Turbine 1 in the Shetland Tidal Array has completed first phase commissioning and successfully connected to the grid at full power. Nova Innovation are now looking towards Turbine 2 deployment.

The 100 kW Nova M100 device has passed an extensive series of commissioning tests, and is now fully operational. Nova Innovation and Belgian green energy company ELSA installed the device in February. It is now connected to SSE’s NINES grid management system, which enables increased renewable energy capacity on a congested grid.

Turbine operation conducted remotely from the Nova Innovation Control Centre in Edinburgh

The Shetland Tidal Array, in the Bluemull Sound, will be one of the world's first in-sea tidal arrays when the first three devices are fully installed.

Simon Forrest, Managing Director of Nova Innovation, said: “Completing this first phase of commissioning is an important milestone for the project and our company. It shows that, through collaboration, a pan-European partnership between a Scottish manufacturing company and a Belgian developer can deliver a world-leading project.”