It provides power to the island of Ushant. The Fromveur Passage (known also as St Vincent’s Channel) is said to have France’s second strongest tidal current.
French company Sabella, previous owner of the turbine, went bankrupt earlier this year. Inyanga has permission to step in and continue operating the tidal turbine until August 2028; the company has managed all offshore operations at the D10 site since 2016.
The initial program involved a 12-month deployment of the D10 tidal stream generator in the Fromveur Passage. In 2015, the power export cable was installed between the generator site and the coast of Ouessant.
During the end of the trial period in July 2016, the turbine was lifted to the surface for inspection and appraisal, then redeployed in October 2018 as part of the European Intelligent Community Energy project.
Following a period of continuous electricity production, Sabella’s team developed new control methods to improve the turbine’s efficiency. Since early 2022, the D10 has again been in continuous service, under Inyanga’s management.
The system, placed on the seabed at a depth of 55 m, is 17 m tall and 10 m in diameter and can deliver up to 250 kW to the Ushant island grid.
