Orbital O2, a 680 tonne tidal turbine is on its way to Orkney.

Launched on Thursday 22nd of April the 2MW tidal turbine has been developed by Scottish based Orbital Marine Power Ltd.

The operation was managed by Osprey Heavy Lift. A submersible barge was used to transfer the turbine for the Forth Ports quayside facility in Dundee into the River Tay . The launch marks the completion of the turbine build, managed by TEXO Fabrication.

Once in Orkney’s waters the O2 will undergo commissioning before being connected to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) where it will become the world’s most powerful operational tidal turbine.

O2 has the ability to generate enough clean, predictable electricity to meet the demand of around 2,000 homes and offset approximately 2,200 tonnes of CO2 production per year.