The world's first large-scale tidal power plant

The world's first large-scale tidal power plant was inaugurated on September 12 in Scotland.

According to the Guardian, the MeyGen tidal generator turbine in the Pentland Firth Strait has been put into operation on the outskirts of Inverness, Scotland.

After the inauguration ceremony, a turbine with a height of about 15m and a rotor diameter of 16m and a mass of 200 tons will begin to be used in the waters off northern Scotland, between Caithness and Orkney.

Tidal turbines are about to go live. (Photo: Mike Brookes Roper / PA).

This will be the first of a series of four units to be placed underwater, each with a capacity of 1.5 megawatts (MW) in the first phase of the project.

However, the project developers hope to receive $ 30.5 million from the Scottish government budget to build a total of 269 turbines, pushing the capacity to 398 MW, enough to power 175,000 households.

Maf Smith, deputy executive director of the RenewableUK advocacy group, said the MeyGen project was a "big step forward in scale" and gave "a great advantage in maintaining the UK's leading position". in the field of renewable energy.

"The first turbine installed at the former site of oil and gas production is a testament to the opportunities that renewable energy offers," he said.

The project is also expected to attract highly skilled Scottish workers to work.

Tidal power is harnessed by placing turbines underwater. When the tide rises, the water is pushed in or when the tide recedes, the turbines will be turned and electricity will be generated.