Inyanga Marine Energy Group has announced the design blueprint for their 20MW HydroWing technology to be deployed at Morlais in Wales.
The tidal energy array will incorporate the revolutionary Tocardo T3 turbine for the first time, with each of the twenty HydroWing units to be powered by two T3 turbines.
Inyanga Marine Energy Group have secured 20MW of capacity for their project at Morlais through the UK Government's Contracts for Difference scheme Allocation Rounds 5 and 6 (AR5 and AR6) with the HydroWing allocation in AR6 being the largest tidal energy award in the UK. A demonstration project will take place at Morlais in 2025.
Richard Parkinson, CEO at Inyanga Marine Energy Group, says: "The patented HydroWing design includes a number of innovative features, which together represent a step change in tidal energy design, increasing energy yield and reducing costs. The all in one' HydroWing system is based on a modular approach, which dramatically reduces CAPEX and installation costs.
"Firstly, the modular substructure comes in road haulable sections, which can be rapidly assembled quayside for installation. The T3 turbines can also be easily transported and installed. Previously, turbines have been large and expensive, if not impossible to deliver to some of the remote locations in which we operate, whereas the compact T3 turbines can be delivered in a box'. In fact, all the HydroWing components will fit in containers for easy, low cost transport. Additionally, the well proven wet mate connection system from the transformer hub to the export cable allows for instantaneous plug and play' connection. The two micro-pile fixings on each foot of the substructure are lightweight and low cost, and can be installed by small workboats. We estimate that there is an up to 60% saving in fixation costs, increasing rapidly with scale. What's more, the patented HydroWing Quad Barge also has a modular design, enabling operations and maintenance costs to be minimised too.
"As well as all these significant cost reduction elements, the HydroWing system includes many features to increase energy yield. For example, the patented T3 turbine blades (each 600KW with 14m rotor diameter) benefit from passive pitch and a gearbox, delivering optimal yield, whilst the 19 metre nacelle height places the turbine in optimal flow conditions for maximum yield as well. The winning combination means that energy yield is increased dramatically, up to 60%."
Andy Billcliff, CEO of Menter Mon Morlais Limited, which manages the Morlais tidal energy site, adds: "This is a groundbreaking design that we expect to be a gamechanger for tidal energy. It offers the magic combination of reduced costs and increased energy yield. This represents a big step forward towards the commercialisation of tidal stream energy, paving the way for global applications."
For media inquiries, contact Lynn File. lynn@brandinnovation.co.uk
About Inyanga Marine Energy Group and HydroWing
Inyanga Marine Energy Group develops cutting-edge solutions for the global offshore renewables industry. Inyanga Marine Energy Group operates a highly experienced and specialised team of offshore engineers from their head office in Falmouth, UK. The company also has offices in Rennes in France, Anglesey in Wales, and Nova Scotia in Canada.
Inyanga Marine Energy Group has two divisions - HydroWing, which focuses on tidal energy technology development, and Inyanga Maritime, which delivers offshore engineering and installation. The company aims to advance through to deployment of the innovative tidal energy converter, the HydroWing, to provide cost-effective, reliable, and predictable power to communities around the globe.
In September 2024, Inyanga Marine Energy Group was awarded 10MW for their tidal energy project at Morlais through Allocation Round 6 (AR6) of the UK government's Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. This doubles the scale of their project, which uses their innovative HydroWing technology, to 20MW, building on their successful 10MW award in the previous allocation round. This allocation was the largest tidal stream project in the UK in the latest Contracts for Difference round. Inyanga Marine Energy Group have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Verdant Morlais Ltd to deliver a further 4.9MW tidal stream energy project at Morlais.
In 2024, the company also won a contract with Energies PH, Inc, through its affiliate San Bernardino Ocean Power Corporation, to build Southeast Asia's first ever tidal power generation plant at Capul in the Philippines. HydroWing has also signed a binding agreement with one of PLN's Subholdings to develop plans for the first tidal current power plant in Indonesia.
For more information, visit https://inyangamarine.com/
About the Morlais Demonstration Zone
The Morlais site is Europe's largest consented tidal energy scheme, managed by the social enterprise Menter Môn. Menter Môn manages an area of 35 km2 of the seabed near Holy Island, Anglesey. The scheme has the potential to generate up to 240MW of low carbon clean electricity. The aim is to play a role in tackling climate change while delivering economic and social benefit to local communities and the wider region.
The project and the way in which it will operate is unique, and the only one of its kind in the world. Morlais provides the necessary infrastructure in the zone, including a connection to the national grid and substations on the shore. It rents berths to various turbine development companies so they can use tidal energy to generate electricity.
For more details visit: https://www.morlaisenergy.com/en/about-us/the-morlais-story
