The European Commission has given permission for construction of a tidal array to begin in Orkney, Scotland.
The project will be made up of four turbines and once operational it is expected to provide power for around 9,200 homes, which is equivalent to 85% of households in Orkney.
Constructed by Orbital, the tidal farm is targeted to be deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) on the Island in 2028.
Oliver Wragg, Development Director of Orbital Marine Power, said: “This is a landmark moment for Orbital and an important milestone for the wider tidal energy industry as Europe moves from proving individual devices to deploying multi-turbine tidal farms.
“This is exactly the kind of strategic public investment that transforms pioneering technology into industrial capability, and we’re proud to be leading that work from Orkney.”
Orbital say the project aims to demonstrate the reliable deployment and operation of connected tidal turbine arrays at commercial scale.
It will also support a future European pipeline of more than 2GW of tidal energy projects.
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