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SITE VISITS REPORT
ISLE OF WIGHT – 13TH & 15TH May 2014
FINAL VERSION, AUGUST 2014
Jim Fawcett
Isle of Wight Council, UK
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SITE VISITS REPORT – ISLE OF WIGHT
INTRODUCTION Representatives of all the Pro-Tide project partners and sub-partners travelled to the Isle of Wight (UK) for a
series of meeting from 13-15 May 2014. This included a Partner’s Meeting, Economy Master Class, Ecology
Master Class and Technical Research Group meeting. The project took the opportunity to undertake two site
visits to better understand tidal energy developments on the Isle of Wight. The visits were as follows:
Tuesday 13th
May, 18.00 – 20.00 - PTEC demonstration site
Thursday 15th
May, 10.00 – 12.00 – SME manufacturing base
PTEC DEMONSTRATION SITE
Pro-Tide is assisting the development of the Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC), which will host devices up to
full scale in single units and arrays. PTEC covers an area of approximately 5 km2 located around 2.5km south of
St. Catherine’s Point off the southern tip of the Isle of Wight (see below).
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In addition to the offshore site, PTEC includes a cable corridor which marks the route of the export cables from
the site to landfall to the west of Ventnor, from where they connect, via a substation, to the Island’s electricity
grid. The site visit began with a trip to the landfall location where Jim Fawcett, project manager for the Isle of
Wight Council, showed delegates the proposed location for the project substation and explained the terrestrial
surveys that were underway to determine the environmental and socio-economic impacts of both the
substation and the cable route. In order to minimise environmental impacts, PTEC is currently considering
locating the substation within a sewage pumping station compound and utilising the disused outfall pipe from
the pumping station as a conduit for the export cables, thus minimising disturbance to the intertidal zone
ecology. This is subject to a number of technical tests and options to trench the cables through the intertidal
zone and to use Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) are also being considered. Delegates were also informed of
the distance and high costs of installing export cables for offshore energy projects.
Following the visit to the cable landfall location, 12 delegates were taken to Ventnor to board a vessel hired
from Cheetah Marine, a boatbuilding and charter business based in the town. The boat trip was limited to 12
delegates due to the safety limit of the boat and the remaining delegates were taken to St. Catherine’s
Lighthouse from where the site could be viewed from land.
The centre of the PTEC site lies some 7km from Ventnor and the boat steamed to this point in approximately 25
minutes. The skipper turned off the boat’s engines at this point to show delegates the extent of the site and also
to demonstrate the strength of the tidal flow by letting the boat drift on the flooding tide. Using the boats sonar
Skipper Sean Strevens (Cheetah Marine) explains tidal flows at the PTEC test and
demonstration site to members of Pro-Tide.
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system, delegates were able to view the complex sea floor bathymetry and understand the preferred locations
for the deployment of tidal turbines. The skipper, who is involved in the fishing industry, also discussed potential
conflicts with the commercial fishing industry, since the area is currently used for crab and lobster fishing. There
was a general discussion about how to overcome such conflicts which PTEC will be addressing in its consent
applications.
Given the location of the lighthouse at the tips of St Catherine’s the delegates were able to see the relationship
between the coast and the test site which was made easier by being able to see the other delegates on the boat
trip at the centre of the PTEC zone. Delegates were informed about the issues associated with achieving an
agreement to lease the seabed from the Crown Estate as well as understand the technical issues associated with
connecting the test site to the local electrical gird including being able to point out the options for where the
cable came ashore and the constraints and issues faced at these various locations. Discussions also took place
concerning the potential conflicts with the local commercial fishing industry.
Pro-Tide delegates outside St. Catherine’s lighthouse which is the
closest landfall to the PTEC site.
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SUSTAINABLE MARINE ENERGY (SME) LTD
Sustainable Marine Energy Ltd is a small tidal turbine developer based in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The
company is developing a unique platform for mounting tidal turbines (and potentially monitoring equipment)
which is anchored into position in the mid-water column where they can operate efficiently without posing a
navigational hazard. The company will be conducting the first sea trials of a full scale device during 2014 and
were happy to host a visit for Pro-Tide delegates to their new manufacturing facility. Following a presentation
from Christoph Harwood, outlining the benefits of the SME design and their proposed development path, the
MD, Jason Hayman showed delegates the construction process for the first platform. Whilst the steel frame is
imported from mainland UK and the Schottel turbine from Germany, the composite buoyancy devices are
manufactured on the Isle of Wight and much of the welding work is being undertaken by skilled local labour. A
local company is also involved in the design and installation of the innovative anchoring system and deployment
will be carried out by local firms. The photographs below show delegates inspecting the imported Schottel
turbine and the unfinished steel frame of the platform.
Christoph Harwood from SME and members of Pro-Tide inspect one of the Schottel
turbines waiting to be mounted on the Plato frame.
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Delegates learnt about the complex processes involved in developing and deploying tidal turbines and the long
timescales that can be involved due to the need for design modifications and applications for marine licences.
SME described their initial sea trial which will take place near to Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight.
Jason Hayman from SME describes the Plato frame before the tidal turbines and
buoyancy aids are mounted.
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APPENDIX 1 – DELEGATE LIST, 13.05.2014
Name Organisation Country
1. Leo Van der Klip Provincie Zeeland NL
2. Zjef Ambagts PZH NL
3. Paul Paulus RWS NL
4. Ilse Deurwaarder Provincie Zeeland NL
5. Jacob van Berkel Entry NL
6. Ingrid de Kubber Provincie Zeeland NL
7. Roeland Notelé Waterways and Seacanal Belgium
8. André Breukelaar RWS NL
9. Jim Fawcett Isle of Wight Council UK
10. Alexei Sentchev ULCO France
11. Francios Schmitt LOG France
12. Cleo Pandelaers IMDC Belgium
13. Katrin Goethals Jusbox Belgium
14. Vicki Jago Dover Harbour Board UK
15. Phil Horne Dover Harbour Board UK
16. Hans de Preter Waterways and Seacanal Belgium
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Name Organisation Country
17. Ashley Curzon Isle of Wight Council UK
18. Elaine Hawkins Isle of Wight Council UK
19. Pieter Looijestijn Provincie Zeeland NL
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APPENDIX 2 – DELEGATE LIST, 15.05.2014
Name Organisation Country
1. Jacob van Berkel Entry NL
2. André Breukelaar RWS NL
3. Ilse Deurwaarder Provincie Zeeland NL
4. Jim Fawcett Isle of Wight Council UK
5. Leo Van der Klip Provincie Zeeland NL
6. Ingrid de Kubber Provincie Zeeland NL
7. Roeland Notelé Waterways and Seacanal Belgium
8. Cleo Pandelaers IMDC Belgium
9. Dave Parkes Dover Harbour Board UK