35,000 homes along the Thames could benefit In a groundbreaking move a tidal turbine is to be installed alongside the HQS WELLINGTON which is moored at Temple Steps in the heart of London.

The former Royal Navy sloop, owned and operated by the WELLINGTON Trust, a maritime heritage and educational charity, is home to the Honourable Company of Master Mariners and special permission has been obtained from the Port Of London Authority to conduct a two month trial to confirm “proof of concept.”

The trials are the first stage in plans to locate a tidal energy farm in the Thames that would generate enough electricity to power 35,000 homes.

The scheme will involve siting hundreds of tidal turbines, the largest capable of generating up to 500kilowatts, along the river from Westminster to Margate.

The project is being developed by Thames Tidal Ltd, a joint venture involving Nautricity Ltd, a tidal technology developer, and Energy Invest Group, a global developer and financier of energy projects.
The project will utilise Nautricity’s innovative CoRMaT, contra-rotating turbine which offers significant advantages in terms of its suppressed downstream turbulence, which will mitigate scouring of the river bed and banks.

While conventional tidal devices resemble wind turbines moored to the seabed, incurring enormous deployment and engineering costs, the CoRMaT device is a small capsule, tethered to a sub-surface float allowing the device to operate in a very wide range of water depths, key to making this project feasible.
Thames Tidal Ltd plan to allow for over 50MW of generating capacity, about an eighth of the power of the now decommissioned Battersea Power Station which will overlook some of the Thames Tidal array. Tidal turbines are to be deployed in arrays of turbines along the Thames subject to planning consent and availability of sites. The build out of the arrays will be phased over a number of years and early work will focus on reassuring all stakeholders.

The pilot demonstration will allow stakeholders, including the Port of London Authority, to more fully understand the nature of the generating device and will stimulate a discussion which will shape an extensive planning exercise designed to mitigate any environmental risks and to ensure that Thames Tidal Ltd operations do not adversely impact on existing river users.
Brian Basham, Chairman of EIG said “We are delighted to have instigated this initiative and see it as the first in demonstrating the efficacy of this world beating technology in the centre of London that will have application nationwide and, indeed, globally. We are immensely grateful for unstinting support we’ve had from all the various Authorities, especially the Port Of London Authority and the Master Mariners, in making this happen”

Cameron Johnstone, CEO of Nautricity said “We are delighted to participate in this exciting project to generate tidal electricity in the very heart of the city of London. The demonstration project gives us a real opportunity to demonstrate that tidal electricity facilities using Nautricity’s tidal turbines can be good neighbours with existing river users while making a significant contribution to our national carbon reduction goals.

Commodore Angus Menzies, chief executive of the Wellington Trust, said “the project provided an excellent opportunity for HQS WELLINGTON to show her green ambitions and to become even more closely engaged with the river and the PLA”

Contact:
EIG CEO Nigel Harper 020 3170 8940
Nautricity director Dave Pratt0141 275 4850
HQS Wellington: 020 7836 8179
Nautricity Limited is a Scottish company which aims to become a leading player in the marine tidal energy business through the application of game changing technologies designed to reduce the capital and operating costs of tidal energy schemes. Nautricity has secured a global exclusive licence to a second generation tidal device developed by the esteemed Energy Systems Research Unit (ESRU) at the University of Strathclyde. This innovative device, the CoRMaT marine turbine has now fully completed its proof of concept testing, successfully progressing to Technology Readiness levels 5/6 and has successfully generated electricity at sea in an energetic tidal environment. The device was recently honoured by the Energy Institute who awarded it their prestigious Technology Award.
Energy Invest Group, is a London based specialist investor established in early 2007 to develop energy projects worldwide. The Group interests span the oil & gas sector and broad range of renewable energy solutions. The Team bring together many years of sector knowledge, industry experience and a wealth of fund raising capability.