Welsh project HydroWing secured 10MW of the total 28MW of tidal stream contracts awarded across the UK. This is in addition to the 10MW the project secured in 2023.
AR6 is the third consecutive round of the auction with a ringfence for tidal stream technology.
Today’s results mean Scotland now has 83MW and Wales 38MW of contracted tidal stream capacity. There has still not been a successful project contracted in England.
Tom Hill, Programme Manager at Marine Energy Wales said:
“Tidal stream is leading the way in Wales. We are delighted to see this additional capacity at Morlais – almost half of the 22MW secured in last year’s Allocation Round.
“Continued support from Government in the form of a ringfence for tidal stream technology and lower strike prices will continue to bring the cost of delivery down and provide high quality jobs for Welsh communities.”
Despite the success for tidal stream, today’s results show no contracts were awarded to Welsh floating offshore wind (FLOW) projects. However, there was more success for the technology than in 2023, with Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn's Green Volt project scooping the entire floating wind allocation.
The pioneering project aims to be the first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm in Europe, delivering electrification and decarbonisation of oil and gas platforms and power to the UK grid.
Charlie Allen, Floating Offshore Wind Project Manager, Marine Energy Wales said:
“Today’s results represent a win for FLOW in the UK. Green Volt is set to be the largest floating wind farm in the world, with up to 35 turbines providing hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy.
“But for Wales and the Celtic Sea, time is running out. To be able to compete with pioneering projects like Green Volt and the ever-evolving Scottish supply chain, we need to see Welsh projects in the water, and without the deployment of test and demonstration projects, we will not maximise the social and economic benefits for Wales.
“The current CfD mechanism is not fit to support these early-stage innovation projects.”
HydroWing is located at Morlais on Anglesey, and the project is expected to be deployed in 2027 / 2028. At the beginning of this year, the project’s parent company Inyanga Marine Energy Group relocated its headquarters to North Wales and transferred their Tocardo turbine business, which is co-owned by QED Naval, from the Netherlands to Anglesey.
Morlais, run by social enterprise Menter Môn, is the largest consented tidal energy project of its type in Europe, spanning 35km2 of seabed.
Marine Energy Wales members Magallanes also secured 3MW of tidal stream capacity in Scotland, in addition to the 3MW they secured at Morlais in 2023.
