In the SEASTAR project, coordinator Nova Innovation (Nova) leads a world-class team to deliver a 4MW array of 16 tidal stream turbines at the EMEC Fall of Warness tidal site in Orkney - the world’s first large tidal farm, which will contain more tidal turbines than are currently deployed worldwide. SEASTAR will utilise Nova's well-proven M100D turbine, developed in partnership with project partner SKF - the world’s leading supplier of rotating equipment. The project builds on the success of Nova's six-turbine Shetland Tidal Array - the world's first offshore tidal array - which was delivered under the H2020 EnFAIT project by a team including SEASTAR partners SKF and Wood. They are joined in SEASTAR by DLA Piper, the leading global law firm in renewable energy, and by specialists in sustainability, insurance, consenting, communication, engineering and offshore operations. SEASTAR will demonstrate for the first time the industrial systems, manufacturing and operational techniques required to efficiently deliver a large tidal farm. It will generate and share transferable knowledge on key consenting risks, de-risking future large arrays globally. And it will improve the bankability of tidal energy by cutting costs, proving performance, and enhancing the insurability of large tidal farms. SEASTAR represents a step change for tidal energy. Volume industrial manufacturing, operation and maintenance techniques will be applied for the first time to the full lifecycle of a tidal farm, from design, procurement, production, shipping, marshalling, deployment, commissioning, operation and decommissioning. The 16-turbine farm provides unique opportunities to address critical environmental evidence gaps and develop the cost-effective, reliable monitoring solutions at scale required to accelerate permitting and remove barriers for future large tidal farms.

There is 10 GW of predictable, high value tidal stream potential in European waters, with up to 100 GW of capacity globally. It is an entirely unharnessed resource, with just 13 MW currently deployed . FORWARD-2030 has an overall objective to fast track 2030MW of tidal energy deployment by 2030. The project has five specific objectives: 1. Reducing Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) from ?200/MWh to ?150/MWh, 2. Enhancing environmental and societal acceptance, 3. Complete industrial design for volume manufacture rollout for 10 and 100+ MW projects, 4. Reducing life cycle carbon emissions by 33% from 18 gCO2 eq/kWh to 12 gCO2 eq/kWh, 5. Enhancing commercial returns and energy system integration (with battery storage and green hydrogen production). Objective 1 is focused on fast-tracking innovation to support the development of a technically and commercially viable tidal energy solution by rapidly reducing LCOE. This will be achieved by developing and verifying seven high priority cost reduction innovations to reduce CAPEX, reduce OPEX, increase efficiency and increase availability. Objectives 2, 3, 4 and 5 are focused on the regulatory and commercial barriers that must be overcome to achieve the project vison of installing 2030MW of tidal energy by 2030. It will be achieved by developing three market uptake innovations: an integrated environmental monitoring system, an energy management system, and an operational forecasting tool. Four market rollout initiatives will be completed: a supply chain plan for large scale roll out, Societal Cost of Energy (SCOE) assessment tool, marine spatial planning to encompass floating tidal and a life cycle carbon reduction assessment.