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