SWEDISH-SCOTTISH DEAL TO DEVELOP WAVES

Vattenfall and Pelamis sign joint venture in marine development
18 December 2009 (International Water Power and Dam Construction)

"Vattenfall has underlined its ambitions in the marine energy market with the announcement of plans to develop a major wave power farm near the UK’s Shetland Islands.

"The Swedish energy giant has launched a joint venture with Pelamis Wave Power, the Edinburgh-based technology firm, to develop a plant that could achieve an installed capacity of 20MW by 2014."

Wavebob. (click to enlarge)

"The move follows the acquisition earlier this year by Vattenfall of a 51% stake in Pandion Ltd., an ocean energy site development. That deal could see the Swedish firm develop wave power stations with Wavebob, which owns the remaining 49% of Pandion.

"Vattenfall and Pelamis’ joint venture firm, Aegir Wave Power Ltd., says that its proposed project could use up to 25 Pelamis P2 machines and could be expanded…on the Shetland Islands, where…[conditions are almost ideal] for wave energy."

Schematic of Wavebob. (click to enlarge)

"Pelamis’ technology consists of 150-180m-long floating tubes that move with the waves. Generators positioned between the different sections of the tubes transform the tubes’ movement into energy…

"Vattenfall says that if planning consents are granted and the planned Shetland-Scotland subsea cable is constructed on time, the project could achieve 20 MW of output by 2014."