General – Decommissioning
Ocean Kinetics and Green Marine (UK) have completed the decommissioning of OpenHydro’s pioneering tidal energy platform at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.
OpenHydro was the first developer to use EMEC’s tidal test site at the Fall of Warness and the first to generate electricity to the national grid in the UK.
The decommissioning project, contracted by EMEC, involved a range of marine services. A joint venture partnership was formed in April to deliver the contract, combining Ocean Kinetics’ divers, riggers, welders and ROV services, and Green Marine’s offshore management, vessel, moorings and cable experience, with shared responsibility for operational engineering, cutting and heavy-lift operations.
Decommissioning work included cable disconnection and termination, dismantling the platform’s steel superstructure and cutting pile foundations to the seabed using reversed diamond wire cutters.
