Relaunch of a river as £10m turbine sets sail

INDUSTRY: 680-tonne construction heralds new era for renewable energy

A £10 million tidal turbine that could help herald a new era for renewable energy in Scotland has become the first vessel to launch from Dundee for more than 40 years. The Orbital O2 left the Port of Dundee yesterday on its way towards the Orkney Islands, where it will generate enough energy from tidal currents to power 2,000 homes.

Manufactured by Texo Fabrications in the city, it measures 74m long, weighs 680 tonnes and is the world’s most powerful tidal turbine.

Orbital chief executive Andrew Scott said: “When you talk about building back greener, there’s not a better example than what we’ve achieved with the O2.” The launch involved the machine being transferred into the river using a submersible barge and was captured in a stunning array of photographs.

It measures 74 metres long, weighs 680 tonnes and could play a key part in Scotland’s future in renewables. The sun was shining as Orbital Marine Power’s striking yellow tidal turbine was launched from the Port of Dundee.

Manufactured by Texo Fabrications in the city, the Orbital O2 is the world’s most powerful tidal turbine.

Costing around £10 million, it will generate 2MW of power from tidal currents near the Orkney Islands, enough to power 2,000 homes.

The launch operation was managed by Osprey Heavy Lift. It involved the machine being transferred into the River Tay using a submersible barge.

The turbine will undergo commissioning before being connected to the European Marine Energy Centre.

The project marks the first vessel launched from Dundee since ship building ended more than 40 years ago.

Orbital chief executive Andrew Scott said around 80% of the cost of the project had been spent in the UK.

He said: “The build we have completed here is an inspiring display of what a UK supply chain can achieve if given the opportunity – even under the extraordinary pressures of a pandemic.

“Over 80% of the cost has been spent in the UK economy and we expect that’s probably resulted in 70 to 80 FTE jobs, direct and indirect. This is radically different from some other forms of renewables.

“When you talk about building back greener, there’s not a better example than what we’ve achieved with the O2.”

The Scottish Government contributed £3.4m towards the project costs under the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund. Through Scottish Enterprise it is a shareholder in Orbital.

Mr Scott said he was optimistic of securing more orders once the technology had been demonstrated.

“It’s a shame to sail out of Dundee without more machines behind us,” he added. “We would like to build more and that allows the supply chain to improve and reduce costs.

“We want to make this into a commercial business where we can support sustainable jobs working in a noble and positive endeavour to decarbonise the economy.

“At the moment we import huge amounts of power-generating technology from Europe and that’s a lot of jobs. We think we can play a similar role exporting our technology.”

The O2 turbine started construction in the second half of 2019. Gray Fabrication in Cupar was involved in creating the body of the hull.

These were delivered in parts by lorries to Texo under a police escort which temporarily closed the Kingsway in Dundee.

Texo undertook the assembly, fabrication and painting over the course of around 16 months.

At times, 40 staff were on the contract working in shifts around the clock.

Chris Smith, managing director of Texo Group, said: “The O2 programme has given us a significant opportunity to demonstrate our multi-disciplinary capabilities and our proactive approach to working collaboratively with clients.

“We firmly believe that the transition to a net zero environment will deliver a range of opportunities to the UK’S engineering and fabrication sectors and we are very proud to see Orbital’s O2 turbine launched today.”

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said he was proud of the role Dundee had played.

He said: “I congratulate the team at Orbital Marine and Texo for their incredible efforts during the hardest year in recent memory. Orbital Marine’s incredible piece of engineering will play a pivotal role in showcasing this technology.

“It will help Scotland achieve its ambition in tackling the climate emergency, further propelling Dundee into a city which is transforming itself into a hub for renewables and innovation.”

The O2 floating structure has twin 1MW powergenerating nacelles at the end of retractable leg structures designed to give low-cost access to all major components for servicing.

The shock visited upon the Scottish economy by Covid has been severe. The conditions meant many firms were unable to operate and had to shut the doors, while others had to reduce headcounts and cut their cloths accordingly.

But while the economy has been stretched to breaking point in some areas, others such as manufacturing have quietly – and safely – continued to operate throughout.

In such a stark environment, successes should be celebrated.

At the Port of Dundee yesterday, the first city-built vessel was launched into the Tay for more than a generation.

That alone is worth celebrating, but the vessel in question – Orbital Marine Power’s O2 – is also very special in its own right.

Assembled during lockdown in massive fabrication sheds at the docks, Dundee can now proudly boast to be the home of the world’s most powerful tidal turbine.

The impressive piece of kit is now on its way to the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, where it will be moored and start to produce enough electricity to power 2,000 homes. Sadly, O2 is a one-off project for the city.

But the need for clean energy is greater now than it has ever been and, from a position of competitive advantage, this area must capitalise.

A combination of US President Joe Biden’s Earth Day commitments yesterday to significantly reduce American emissions in this decade and the forthcoming COP26 climate conference in Glasgow mean that the iron is hot for the renewables sector right now.

That will drive new opportunities and innovation and hopefully ensure that investment in cutting edge renewable technology such as Orbital’s O2 becomes the norm rather than the exception.

For the major ports of Tayside and Fife – and for the wider renewables and oil and gas supply chain – there is an opportunity to grasp.

The post-covid business landscape will be frenetic and competitive.

But we must not be afraid to go out and sell ourselves and our skilled labour force to the world.

O2 is a demonstration of what can be achieved. It is a good start, but there is a greater prize on offer.