EnFAIT Project Successes

EnFAIT (Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal), was a €20m Horizon 2020 flagship project which successfully completed in June 2023. This project, led by Nova, delivered a 40.7% reduction in the cost of tidal stream energy – demonstrating bankability and building investor confidence in the sector.

Independently Verified Performance

  • World leading engineering consultants wood. completed third-party verification of turbine performance, verifying the exceptional operational results delivered by Nova’s pioneering tidal technology.

  • Industry regulator, Marine Scotland, completed independent analysis of the environmental data collected at the Shetland Tidal Array and confirmed it has had “no negative effects”.

Cost Reduction

  • EnFAIT exceeded its cost performance KPI by achieving a 41% reduction in tidal stream energy costs – making it more competitive with other sources of generation.

Industry leading technology

  • Nova doubled the capacity of the Shetland Tidal Array, installing 3 new higher performing turbines. This made it the tidal stream array with most operational turbines anywhere in the world.

  • Nova installed a pioneering subsea hub that enabled multiple turbines to export power to the shore via a single cable.

Reliability

  • EnFAIT smashed targets by extending turbine maintenance periods beyond two and a half years (and counting), exceeding the original 6-month target.

Availability

  • EnFAIT demonstrated a step-change in turbine availability, with the new turbines able to generate 95% of the time. This was independently verified by engineering consultancy wood.

European Energy and Manufacturing Security

  • The project was delivered using 100% European content, bolstering European industrial competitiveness.

  • Nova’s supply chain grew from 4 to 20 European countries across the project duration.

  • KPIs were exceeded, with 38% local content boosting coastal communities and creating green jobs, driving the European blue economy forwards.

John Meagher