Six years without pause sets milestone for world’s largest tidal stream array

The Swedish bearing and seal manufacturing company SKF has joined forces with UK-based tidal energy company Proteus Marine Renewables to deliver what is said to be “cutting-edge” technology for MeyGen, the world’s largest tidal stream facility located in Scotland’s Pentland Firth. SKF has reported a new operational milestone, with its technology delivering uninterrupted performance at the site for over six years.

According to SKF, its systems have operated at 1.5 MW since 2018 without the need for unplanned or disruptive maintenance. The company says the result sets a new reliability benchmark for the sector and demonstrates the long-term viability of tidal power in harsh offshore conditions.

The company said this marks a shift in expectations for tidal energy, a sector governments worldwide are exploring as part of a broader move toward dependable, zero-emission generation. SKF is supporting a planned expansion of the MeyGen array, with a minimum 59 MW addition to the current 6 MW pilot setup. The scale-up is expected to progress alongside further investment and technical development through 2025 and beyond.

“Tidal stream power offers a significant opportunity for the world to diversify its energy mix whilst reducing its carbon footprint, a key target for governments around the world. Abundant resources coupled with the predictability of tidal flows make it a viable and trusted technology which we are proud to be supporting at such a critical time for the world’s future energy strategy,” said Thomas Fröst, President, Independent and Emerging Business at SKF.

Tidal energy is said to be regarded as one of the most predictable renewable resources, offering a steady complement to wind and solar generation. SKF noted that the MeyGen performance raises the bar for long-term dependability in a sector where environmental exposure and maintenance constraints have posed challenges in the past.

The report comes amid broader government backing for tidal technologies. In the UK, efforts are focused on reaching 1 GW of installed tidal stream capacity by 2035, which is said to be enough to power roughly 829,000 homes.

SKF also pointed to cost trends, stating that tidal stream energy is expected to reach price parity with nuclear energy by 2035.

SKF noted that long-duration underwater turbine operation remains a technical challenge across the sector. A condition-based maintenance strategy, running equipment for more than six years between major overhauls, is considered a target performance level. The company believes this strategy has been validated through MeyGen, which was commissioned in 2017 and has operated continuously since 2018.

For over a decade, SKF and Proteus Marine Renewables have maintained a collaboration, with SKF supplying bearings and seals for turbine systems. These include the main rotor bearings, the yaw system that turns the turbine toward the tidal stream, and the pitch mechanism that adjusts the blade angles.

“We need suppliers that understand the demands of the subsea environment, where the consequences of key component failure are impactful. SKF has played a significant role in Proteus’ ongoing refinement and risk reduction efforts, and the input goes well beyond the supply of individual components,” said Drew Blaxland, CEO of Proteus Marine Renewables.

Looking ahead, SKF is expected to supply fully integrated 3 MW power trains to Proteus, which the company says will simplify the supply chain and offer a plug-and-play solution for future deployments.

“For over a decade, MeyGen has been at the forefront of the tidal energy sector, pioneering the blueprint for utility-scale tidal stream arrays. The successful operation and performance of our existing turbines have proven the reliability of this technology and its potential as a predictable source of renewable energy. We are excited to collaborate with Proteus Marine Renewables with the support of SKF as we progress from a pilot project to full commercial deployment,” noted Fraser Johnson, O&M Manager for the MeyGen tidal facility.

In November 2024, Proteus Marine Renewables signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SKF Marine and GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business to set a framework for delivering tidal turbine generation systems (TTGS) to developers of large-scale tidal arrays, with a focus on MeyGen’s Scottish tidal stream site.

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