Tidal Renewable Energy Case Study: Strangford Lough

SMRU Ltd is contracted by Marine Current Turbines (MCT) to provide marine mammal services for the world’s first full-scale commercial demonstration tidal turbine at Strangford Lough.  MCT’s technology, SeaGen, is a 1.2MW tidal energy convertor and the world’s largest operational tidal stream turbine.

What is the challenge in this tidal renewable energy project?
MCT chose Strangford Lough as its test location for SeaGen due to its favourable current and weather conditions. However, due to its strict protection under the EC Habitats Directive, installation in Strangford Lough meant that regulators required MCT to conduct a full Environmental Impact Assessment and develop an Environmental Monitoring Programme with an emphasis on marine mammals.

What has SMRU Ltd delivered?
Our main activities involve providing specialist technical advice on marine mammal issues and designing, implementing and analysing surveys for marine mammals. These included aerial surveys for seals, harbour seal telemetry, passive acoustic monitoring for porpoises, land based visual observations and turbine based visual tracking and active sonar target tracking.  These activities allow us to determine the potential impacts of the turbine on marine mammals and provide advice and guidance to MCT. 

What are the outcomes?
Our knowledge and work on the project has provided reassurance to the regulator, allowing the installation and continued operation of SeaGen in Strangford Lough. SMRU Ltd is now involved in the Environmental Monitoring Programme that was part of the licence conditions to MCT. The Strangford Lough EMP is widely considered to be one of the most comprehensive environmental monitoring programmes in the world. Our input in the project will play a big part in helping MCT to realise its goal of having 500 to 1000 SeaGen turbines deployed in UK waters by 2020. SMRU has also carried out marine mammal impact assessment work for the Skerries project including encounter modelling.

Read our offshore renewable energy case study