An engineering group has been selected as the preferred contractor to build wave energy converters in Dundee.
Texo Engineering & Fabrication has signed a memorandum of understanding to become the preferred fabrication, assembly and load-out contractor for Mocean Energy.
Texo operates a fabrication facility and a range of engineering services in Dundee.
From its base at Port of Dundee, Texo also manufactured the Orbital O2, the world’s most powerful tidal turbine.
Mocean specialises in designing and delivering wave energy converters to power ocean equipment and the grid with clean, carbon-free, renewable energy.
The firm is developing two wave energy technologies.
One, Blue Star, is a device that will power a range of sub-sea equipment, including autonomous vehicles and control systems.
The other, Blue Horizon, is a much larger machine. It is designed to generate grid-scale electricity in off-coast wave farms.
Texo is already providing technical support to design Mocean Energy’s products for manufacture.
The intention is a formal fabrication and assembly contract will be agreed, following design completion.
Firms ‘ideally placed’ to work together
A “delighted” Donny Marshall, divisional director at Texo, was looking forward to working with Mocean on its “cutting-edge” technology.
The Blue Star product is in its design to manufacture phase. It is being tailored to be built at Texo’s fabrication facility in Dundee.
Mr Marshall added: “Our work with Mocean is already building a fantastic partnership between the two companies.
“Harnessing wave power is an exciting way to generate renewable energy.
“Both our companies are ideally placed to work together to make this technology a successful commercial reality.
“Texo having the engineering and design capabilities along with the fabrication requirements for Mocean made it a great fit from the outset.”
Mocean this month deployed Blue X in the seas off Orkney and connected with a Halo underwater battery.
That follows a successful first deployment of their BlueX prototype demonstrator in Orkney in 2021,
The £2 million demonstrator project brings together consortium partners including Verlume, Baker Hughes, Serica Energy, Harbour Energy, Transmark Subsea, and Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC).
Cameron McNatt, managing director of Mocean Energy, said: “Texo has a tremendous track record of the manufacture of complex technology for the offshore environment.
“It is the ideal partner to fabricate our next-generation machines.
Through selecting Texo we are ensuring our supply chain remains home grown.
“This underscores the wider economic benefits a thriving wave energy sector can bring to Scotland and the UK.”
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