Minesto’s megawatt-scale tidal energy kite is up and running

Minesto has commissioned its 1.2 MW, 25-ton Dragon 12 tidal energy kite, delivering the first electricity to the national grid in the Faroe Islands.

Dragon 12 was commissioned in the early morning of February 9 and, according to Minesto, it generated electricity at satisfactory levels in its first phase of operation.

Dragon 12, being 12 meters wide and 28 tons heavy, is anchored with a tether to the seabed and steered in an 8-shaped flight trajectory powered by the tidal flow. It is a 10-times scale-up from the existing 100 kW Dragon 4.

“This is a big day for Minesto. We have reached the most significant milestone in the history of the company by producing electricity to the grid with our mega-watt scale powerplant. We are both proud and happy and more than ever look forward to the journey ahead,” said Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto.

“What the Minesto team has achieved today is extraordinary and set a new agenda for renewable energy build-out in many areas of the world. The competitiveness of the Dragon 12 is straight to the point; it’s powerful, cost-effective and feeds predictable electricity to the grid.”

To remind, on February 8, 2024, the Swedish Energy Agency awarded Minesto with 2.8M SEK (approximately $267,000) to support the development and testing of a mooring system for ocean energy deployment.

The grant co-funds a project through which Minesto will advance the performance of the next-generation tether system that moors the powerplant to the seabed.