Nova Deploys in France
21.03.2023
Nova has successfully installed its world-leading tidal energy technology at the Étel Estuary, bringing its turbines to France for the first time.
This tidal energy trial proves that Nova’s world-leading tidal technology can be deployed in rivers and estuaries as well as seas and ocean, opening up a whole new global market to supply towns and cities near rivers with clean, green electricity.
The Étel Estuary deployment is Nova’s first outside of Scotland, ahead of further international deployment in Canada this summer.
Simon Forrest, CEO of Nova Innovation said: “We are delighted to have successfully delivered this project in collaboration with our French partners and the European Commission. The potential for tidal energy in France is huge and this pan-European collaboration has demonstrated a continued path of cost reduction alongside enhanced reliability.
The demonstration of our technology in estuaries and rivers significantly increases the global market for our turbines. Having now successfully deployed in both the UK and France, which share the majority of the tidal resource within Europe, Nova is perfectly placed to help deliver the EU’s tidal energy ambitions and play its part in Europe’s energy security.”
Nova’s seabed-mounted turbines create no visual impact or navigational hazard, so the community using the Étel, ranging from oyster fishermen to kayakers, are unaffected by the turbines. The Étel estuary is rich in wildlife and one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Brittany, so Nova’s robust environmental credentials were a key factor to site approval.
As in Shetland and Canada, Nova has worked with local experts and suppliers to ensure success of the European project, delivered as part of the ELEMENT project in partnership with CINEA (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency). Nova collaborated with project partners Chantier Bretagne-Sud, ABB and Innosea on the manufacturing and build of the subsea systems, France Energies Marine for environmental monitoring and IDETA for community engagement.
The Étel deployment is yet another successful project delivered in partnership with the European Commission, keeping Europe at the forefront of this emerging global sector.