Hayle Wave Hub, Cornwall
Putting the South West at the cutting edge of wave power technology by constructing a pioneering Wave Hub project.
Dean & Dyball has completed the first phase of construction for the pioneering Wave Hub project, that will put South West England at the forefront of the global marine energy industry. Phase one was based on shore and involved drilling 2 HDPE ducts, 315mm OD, 200m in length, under and through sand dunes on the beach at Hayle in Cornwall.
The Wave Hub is expected to create around 1,000 jobs and generate £332 million for the South West economy over the next 25 years.
Wave Hub is a cornerstone of the SWRDA’s strategy to develop a world class marine energy system in the South West. It is a large grid-connected socket on the seabed for wave energy devises to be tested on a scale not seen before.
Works on the landward side of sand dunes included establishment of Bentonite slurry mixing, recycling and waste storage facilities.
The narrow duct was lined with a pipe as it was drilled and ultimatelly will link Wave Hub's subsea cable with a new electricity sub-station on the site of a former power station. Work on the sub-station will start in January and is expected to take six months to complete. Wave Hub will be deployed and the subsea cable laid in the summer of 2010.