HydroQuest tidal turbine deployment

French tidal energy developer HydroQuest is joining the Ocean Energy Europe Board of Directors as a Lead Partner.

HydroQuest will be represented by Guillaume Gréau, Head of Business Development, who has 20 years of experience in shipbuilding and tidal energy.

Building on a decade’s experience in developing river current turbines, in 2016 HydroQuest added tidal turbine technology to its portfolio. Directly inspired by their existing river turbine technology, the OceanQuest tidal project won the ADEME competition “Energies Renouvelables en Mer” (Marine renewable energies) in 2017.

The innovative 1MW OceanQuest tidal turbine recently celebrated its one-year anniversary of continuous operation at the Paimpol-Bréhat site in Normandy, proving its reliability and efficacity. A partnership between HydroQuest and Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN), provides HydroQuest with a strong production capability & expertise on the strategic site of Cherbourg.

The new generation of HydroQuest tidal turbines will be one of the most powerful available, with a nominal power of 2.5MW.

Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe, underlined the value that HydroQuest will bring to the Ocean Energy Europe Board of Directors: “The tidal energy sector is regaining momentum in France, so it is timely that we are now welcoming an important French developer to the OEE Board. This move confirms HydroQuest’s commitment to the technology and demonstrates that they are ready to advance to the industrial stage of development. I am looking forward to working with Guillaume to shape the future of this exciting sector, which can only benefit from HydroQuest’s extensive experience.”

Guillaume Gréau, HydroQuest’s Head of Business Development added: “We at HydroQuest are excited to join the OEE Board of Directors and to play our part in realising the huge potential of tidal power. Four years ago, we took the wise decision to capture not only the energy of rivers, but also the immense power of the seas. It is a key objective of HydroQuest to be part of the clean energy transition, and together with Ocean Energy Europe and my fellow Directors, I am looking forward to writing the next chapter in the industrialisation and commercial deployment of tidal energy.”

By Jake Frith