Galician technology company Magallanes Renovables, based in Redondela (Pontevedra), has received a UK license to install the world’s first floating tidal energy park, after obtaining an energy tariff in an auction called by the British government.
As the company stated in a statement, the award of this percentage represents a long-term contract for renewable energy generation companies, guaranteeing a fixed price for the electricity produced. “With the launch of the ATIR 2.0 commercial platform and the support of the UK-led market, Magallanes Renovables is ready to lead the ocean renewable energy revolution,” explained the company’s CEO, Alejandro Márquez de Magallanes.
Magallanes’ commercial platform ATIR 2.0 has received Bureau Veritas certification, highlighting the efficiency, safety and profitability of its design, arising from the application of the best solutions in the marine and wind industry to develop a machine capable of producing energy with the movement of ocean tides.
This platform is designed to be cost effective in terms of capital and operating costs. Thus, by using components already proven in the marine and wind turbine industries, the company’s CEO emphasized, it has been able to reduce construction and engineering costs, as well as the cost of maintenance and repair.
Magallanes Renovables celebrated France joining the UK and Canada in announcing the upcoming auction for the installation of tidal energy complexes, reflecting “the growing international recognition of the potential of tidal energy”, and underscoring the importance of this technology in the transition towards “an energy future that is more sustainable, clean and respectful of the marine ecosystem.” “
Magallanes Renovables was founded in 2009 and focused on developing energy solutions based on generating electricity through the use of tidal energy. To do this, floating platforms equipped with blades are used that collect tidal forces in channels between islands, in bays and elsewhere on the coast.
In 2019, its ATIR platform, 45 meters long and 15 meters deep, began testing off the coast of Great Britain and successfully generated electricity, which was fed by connecting to Scotland’s electricity grid. In 2024, construction of its new ATIR 2.0 platform will begin.
In 2022, it obtained a license, through a fixed price offered at auction, to install a group of floating platforms that will generate and market energy obtained from the sea starting in 2026. It is expected to generate about 10.5 megawatts, equivalent to the electricity needed by 11,000. Home for a year.
