Offshore staff
ROSYTH, UK – Mocean Energy expects to test its Blue X wave energy prototype later this month offshore Orkney, northern Scotland.
The 20-m (65.6-ft) long, 38-metric ton (42-ton) wave machine, fabricated in Fife, eastern Scotland, by AJS Production, will initially be deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre’s Scapa Flow test site for sea trials, and then at EMEC’s large-scale Billia Croo test site this summer.
Next year, Mocean Energy plans to connect the system to a subsea battery which will be used to power a remotely operated AUV.
The manufacturing/testing program has been supported by £3.3 million ($4.58 million) from Wave Energy Scotland through the Novel Wave Energy Converter program.
The Blue X will now undergo ballasting and wet testing at Rosyth before heading to Orkney.
Mocean Energy managing director Cameron McNatt said the initial trials will “allow us to prove our concept at sea, particularly that its novel hull shapes will produce more power than traditional raft designs.
“This enables the development of commercial scale technologies suited to the oil and gas and other industries.”
Recently the company announced another project with the Oil and Gas technology Centre, Harbour Energy, EC-OG and Modus to demonstrate use of the Blue X prototype to power a subsea battery and a remote underwater vehicle via onshore tests at EC-OG’s Aberdeen facility.
04/21/2021
