New wave of investment as Alstom signs new tidal deal for Bristol company

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Alstom has signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to acquire
Tidal Generation Limited (TGL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Plc based in Bristol which specialises in the design and manufacture of tidal stream turbines. Alstoms acquisition of TGL is expected to be completed within the next few months, subject to closing conditions.

TGL is at the forefront in the design, development and manufacture of tidal stream turbines which capture and convert the energy of tidal streams to generate electrical power. TGLs first 500kWe unit was successfully installed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) at Orkney in Scotland. It generated and fed into the grid over 250MWh of electricity averaging 12 hours of predictable operation each day. Visit Alstom TV to find out more about this technology.

This acquisition reinforces Alstoms position in renewable power as the company with the broadest and most complete range of products and systems, from hydro to wind, geothermal, biomass and solar. It will complement Alstoms on-going research and development activities on ocean energies that are based in Nantes, France. It gives Alstom the opportunity to build a complete portfolio of tidal products and technologies which is necessary to cover the wide range of site conditions and to meet all customer needs.

TGL, which employs 29 people, will benefit from Alstoms experience in the energy industry, its global presence in 100 countries and its integrated offer, including power generation and transmission.

TGL was the first EMEC located project to receive UK Renewable Obligations Certificates. As part of the Energy Technologies Institute commissioned and co-funded ReDAPT (Reliable Data Acquisition Platform for Tidal) consortium project, TGLs 1MW tidal turbine will be installed at EMEC by the end of 2012 and will be tested in various operational conditions off Orkney over a two year period.

Detailed environmental and tidal stream information will be measured to help the marine renewable industry understand the challenges that must be addressed for tidal technology to be developed on a commercial scale.

Steve Burgin, President of Alstom UK, said: This is a tremendous development for Alstom because it puts us in a real leadership position across not just tidal power or renewables but clearly demonstrates our commitment to lower carbon power in the UK as a whole.

With todays acquisition, weve got an incredibly exciting opportunity to take a technology thats right at the start of its deployment to commercial scale in the future.

As a group we can now offer lower carbon solutions to meet all needs from gas-fired power stations to a whole range of renewables, from offshore wind to marine to biomass that not only help reduce emissions but also keep the UKs power flowing.