Scotland‘s Orbital Marine Power has reached a milestone as it prepares for its first venture into US waters through a partnership with Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO).
The company, known for its floating tidal turbine technology, will collaborate with OPALCO for a proposed site off Blakely Island in Rosario Strait, Washington State.
This partnership follows the US Department of Energy’s decision to allocate $6 million (£4.6m) for tidal energy research, development and demonstration, with Orbital selected as the technology partner.
If OPALCO is chosen after the evaluation process, it plans to deploy an Orbital O2 floating tidal energy turbine in Rosario Strait, aiming to provide a local power supply with minimal environmental impact.
Andrew Scott, Chief Executive Officer of Orbital Marine Power, said: “Whilst there is still substantial work to be done before we float our technology in US waters, this milestone underlines growing global appetite for the pioneering progress we are demonstrating in the floating tidal stream space.”
Foster Hildreth, Managing Director of OPALCO, said: “There are no single or simple solutions for figuring out the complexities of our future energy supply in a decarbonised world.
“OPALCO is exploring all possible technologies to build reliable, sustainable and carbon-free resources to meet the energy needs of San Juan County.”
