Atlantis Unveils Largest, Most Powerful Tidal Turbine

The AK1000 tidal turbine is due for installation at a dedicated berth at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, Scotland, later this summer.

Producing 1 megawatt of power, the AK1000 is capable of generating enough electricity for 1,000 homes. It is designed for harsh weather and rough, open ocean environments such as those found off the Scottish coast. The turbine has an 18 meter rotor diameter, weighs 130 tons and stands at a height of 22.5 meters. The giant turbine is expected to be environmentally benign due to a low rotation speed while in operation and will deliver predictable, sustainable power to the local Orkney grid, Atlantis reported.

CEO of Atlantis, Timothy Cornelius, said: "The unveiling and installation of the AK1000 is an important milestone, not only for Atlantis, but for the marine power industry in the United Kingdom. It represents the culmination of 10 years of hard work, dedication and belief from all our partners, staff, directors and shareholders. The AK1000 is capable of unlocking the economic potential of the marine energy industry in Scotland and will greatly boost Scotland's renewable generation capacity in the years to come."

The AK1000 nacelle was fabricated by Soil Marine Dynamics in Newcastle in England, and the gravity base structure and system assembly was completed by Isleburn Engineering, a member of the Aberdeen-based Global Energy Group. Steel for the turbine came from Corus' Scunthorpe facility.

Atlantis has invested more than $50 million over the last decade in the design, development and testing of tidal turbines. Much of that research went into designing the AK1000, Cornelius said previously.