Orbital Marine has signed a strategic contract with SKF for the latter to supply fully integrated power trains for the former’s 2MW O2 floating tidal turbine which will be deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney in 2020.
The deal builds on an existing agreement which sees the blade pitching hubs for the machine also being supplied by SKF.
Orbital has been working with SKF for the supply of critical bearing and sealing components since 2011 in both its 250kW unit and the SR2000-2MW unit.
However, the commercial supply arrangement for the O2 turbine is a departure from the historical component supply model to one where SKF is providing Orbital fully integrated drivetrain solutions covering both nacelles and pitching hubs for the tidal turbine, the companies said.
Orbital Marine chief executive Andrew Scott said: “At Orbital Marine we are about delivering a total, innovative solution that enables low cost tidal stream energy.
“Commercialising our technology will create an entirely new global market for power generation equipment and services and we are delighted to be working with SKF to unlock this.”
SKF business development manager marine and ocean energy Michael Baumann said: “We are a technical partner to advanced tidal turbine device developers for almost a decade now and are delighted that our long-term partnership with Orbital evolves to the next major step from providing main mechanical sub-systems to fully integrated power train solutions.
“We see tremendous potential for floating tidal technology due to its low installation and operating costs and are keen to create value-adding solutions for our customers.”