Nova Innovation to mothball 500-kW tidal stream project off Wales

Scottish tidal stream energy company Nova Innovation on Wednesday announced its decision to mothball the 500-kW Enlli project off the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales next month.

The company explained its decision with a range of site-specific factors such as revenue support limitations and grid and cable routing constraints. It noted that these issues make the project at the chosen site economically unviable.

“If the grid on the Llyn is strengthened, the tidal project in Bardsey Sound would become viable and offer significant opportunities for local regeneration in the future,” Nova Innovation concluded.

The scheme, which was backed by the Welsh government in 2020 for environmental consenting and technical design development, envisaged the installation of five 100-kW turbines on the seabed in Bardsey Sound -- the stretch of water between the tip of the Llyn Peninsula and Bardsey Island. The idea was to make the remote island the world’s first “blue energy island” by generating power from the strong tidal currents.

In response to the announcement, Marine Energy Wales Programme Manager Tom Hill said the following: “Tidal stream energy has come a long way in the past 10 years. The technology is proven, it is the challenge of commercialisation the industry now faces. The site-specific factors the Enlli Project faced, are real barriers, and this is why we are campaigning for sector investment, timely consenting and grid upgrades, so that Wales can capitalise on its renewable energy resources.”

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