The UK's fledgling tidal energy sector may be waiting nervously to see whether the government will back plans for a major new tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay, but that is not stopping other developers moving forward with plans for new projects.
Fair Head Tidal, a joint venture between Cork-based DP Energy and Belgium's Bluepower NV, announced this week that it is moving forward with plans to submit a marine licence application this summer for its proposed 100MW tidal project off the coast of Northern Ireland.
The Fair Head Tidal Energy Park is planned for a site off the coast of north Antrim, near Ballycastle, and would feature an array of subsea tidal turbines.
The developer said that once completed, the facility would provide enough predictable, clean power for 70,000 homes.
Fair Head Tidal said it had concluded a series of extensive surveys offshore and onshore, the results of which were now being assessed and would be incorporated in the marine licence application.
Clodagh McGrath, DP Energy's project manager, said the company remained on track to begin construction work on the project in 2018.
"The Fair Head Tidal development strategy is to progress with a 100MW offshore consent application and build the project in phases, planned to commence in 2018," she said in a statement. "In the past three years we have engaged with a wide range of project stakeholders including local communities and government departments.
"We will of course continue this engagement process as we finalise our plans and look forward to hosting more local open days this spring before we complete our application. At these open days we will be sharing details on the surveys completed, the proposed tidal energy technologies and how we plan to bring the energy ashore and connect into the national electricity grid."
The update came as Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron last weekend challenged David Cameron to back plans for the ambitious Swansea Tidal Lagoon project, after the prime minister hinted he was concerned about the cost of tidal energy.
Farron said it would be "utter madness" to squander the UK's world-leading position in tidal energy, declaring that the project had become a "litmus test" for the government's commitment to clean energy.
Ministers are currently considering whether to grant the project a price support contract, after the prime minister said recently his enthusiasm for tidal energy was "waning" amid concerns about the cost of the resulting power.
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