Tidal energy company Nova Innovation has secured an extension of its seabed lease at the Shetland Tidal Array.

Crown Estate Scotland has granted an extension to Nova’s existing seabed lease at Bluemull Sound in Shetland, increasing the capacity of the lease from 0.5MW to 2MW and extending the period to  2041.

The extension of the Bluemull Sound lease provides opportunities for further deployment of turbines as part of a larger array. The next phase involves the installation of an additional three turbines by 2020, under the EnFAIT project: a  European tidal energy technology initiative led by Nova, in a consortium of nine industrial, academic and research organisations from across Europe.

Mark McKean, development manager for Crown Estate Scotland, said: “We’ve watched the development of Nova Innovation’s Bluemull Sound site with interest and are really pleased to be able to support further growth of this project with this lease extension.

“During the last 12 months we have witnessed a significant upturn in tidal energy deployments within Scottish waters and Nova’s existing operations at Bluemull Sound have added to that. We look forward to seeing further progress at this site and benefits for the local supply chain in the coming years.”