Marine renewables developer Naval Energies has start manufacturing at its tidal turbine assembly plant in Cherbourg, France, the world’s first sector-dedicated factory.
The 5,500 sq metre plant will start the production of the first single-unit orders of its OpenHydro 2MW open-centre model for projects in Canada and Japan, as well as future commercial installations off France, with a top capacity of 25 turbines a year.
“Naval Energies is writing a new page in industrial history on the emerging market of tidal turbines,” Laurent Schneider Maunoury, CEO of Naval Energies and OpenHydro, stated while inaugurating the facility.
“We have the capacity to build a tidal turbine every two weeks. The priority for OpenHydro today is to ensure the success of the international demonstration projects and prepare the ramping up of the Normandie Hydro pilot project, in Raz Blanchard.
“Beyond that, we urgently need commercial visibility and hope for decisions from [the US], and in particular France, to launch a call for tenders for commercial farms,” he added.
The first two turbines to be assembled in the plant are headed for projects being developed by Japan’s Kyuden Mirai Energy and Canada’s Cape Sharp Tidal.
Seven more units are expected to be ordered for the next stage of the developer’s Paimpol-Bréhat project off the channel island of Bréhatas, where a two-turbine 4MW pilot has been running since 2016.
Discussions are ongoing “with several other countries”, including Chile and Indonesia, for future orders, according to Naval Energies, which was formerly known as DCNS.
