The growth of tidal stream energy in Wales has taken a significant step forward with the launch of an environmental initiative to support the safe deployment of turbines.
Led by social enterprise Menter Môn, Tanfor will support the safe deployment of turbines in the Morlais zone off the coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey).
The project continues the groundbreaking work previously carried out under the Marine Characterisation Research Project (MCRP) banner and will balance renewable energy expansion with the protection of marine wildlife.
Working with a team of experts, the project is developing a detailed Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (EMMP) to safeguard local marine wildlife as Morlais progresses. Other groundbreaking initiatives include the use of miniature solar panels fitted to seabirds to power data transmission to land-based systems and the first ever AI identified dolphin encounter using a combination of marine monitoring technologies.
Sarah Livett, project lead, said:
“The launch of Tanfor marks the next phase of our work to safeguard seabirds and marine mammals as we move closer to the deployment of turbines at Morlais. We are proud of what we have achieved so far, including many world-firsts, made possible by our team of industry experts, academics, and business partners.
“What makes Tanfor, and the MCRP before it, unique is that our findings will be made openly available through the Crown Estate's Marine Data Exchange (MDE). This commitment to share data means our work will not only support Morlais but also help drive the future growth of tidal stream energy worldwide.”
Both Tanfor and Morlais are part of Menter Môn's energy portfolio of projects.
Dafydd Gruffydd, Managing Director of Menter Môn, added:
“We are extremely proud of Morlais and what we have achieved so far with our research work here. We are putting Ynys Môn and North Wales on the map with the technology and methodologies that we are using. It's important to us that we provide these opportunities locally, creating quality and specialist jobs, and making the most of the world-class academic research facilities at Bangor University.”
Supported by Tanfor, the first tidal energy devices are expected to be deployed in the Morlais zone from 2027. It is the largest consented tidal energy scheme in Europe and once fully operational will have capacity to generate up to 240MW of clean low carbon electricity from tidal energy.
