Horizon 2020-funded Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal (EnFAIT) project, led by Scottish tidal energy developer Nova Innovation, has progressed to the detailed design phase.
The EnFAIT consortium, involving nine leading industrial, academic and research organizations in tidal energy sector, held a meeting late in October, where the concept design for the tidal array was reviewed, and all parties agreed to progress the project to the detailed design phase, the consortium informed.
The project, boosted by almost €15 million through Horizon 2020 program, will extend Nova Innovation’s existing operational tidal array off the Shetland Islands in Scotland to six turbines.
It will also aim to demonstrate that high array reliability and availability can be achieved using best practice maintenance regimes.
A formal project general assembly meeting was also held at which the work package leads provided a status update on their tasks and deliverables, followed by a program status review of the overall governance and progress of the project to date.
Plans for the third consortium meeting to be held in late January 2018 were also put in place.
“The EnFAIT project has started well and looks to positively move forward to the detailed design review in spring 2018 whilst continuing to operate and maintain the existing array of tidal turbines,” the EnFAIT consortium said.
Total project costs for the EnFAIT project, running until June 2022, are expected to be €20.2 million.
In addition to Nova Innovation, other partners in the project include ELSA, ORE Catapult, Wood Group, and Mojo Maritime.