Bureau Veritas publishes Current and Tidal Turbines guidelines

International classification society and certification group Bureau Veritas has published a set of guidelines, NI 603, intended to help the development of current and tidal turbines. The guidelines are backed by a separate guide to certification for marine renewable energy devices including tidal turbines, wave energy converters and ocean thermal energy conversion.

Philippe Donche-Gay, Executive Vice-President and Head of the Marine & Offshore Division of Bureau Veritas says, “Marine renewable energy offers promising sources of clean energy. Emerging technologies that generate electricity by harnessing the power of tidal streams, waves and temperature gradients, are moving from research phase to commercial use. We think that over the next five to ten years, the number of tidal turbines in particular is set to multiply. There is a clear need for standards and certification in this fast-developing field.”

To ensure the commercial viability of their projects, designers and operators involved in marine energy must be able to demonstrate their technologies are safe and offer high quality and reliability. This can be complex in an emerging sector with no real track record, and where international standards are still under development. Bureau Veritas, as an established certification body with extensive experience in renewable energy and marine and offshore energy issues leads the industry with these guidance notes setting standards specific to current and tidal turbines and guidelines on certification for them.

NI 603 Current and Tidal Turbines sets down guidelines applicable to current and tidal turbines which are installed on the seabed and which produce electricity from tidal power, underwater current power or estuary water power. They cover the materials and loads for the support structure, including foundations and turbine and also the requirements for the electrical installation. There are sections on life-cycle considerations, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, maintenance and decommissioning.

The Marine Renewable Energy Guide to Certification sets out how developers in these emerging fields can approach certification of their units and prototypes.

For a graphic of turbines go to http://bit.ly/1As4kK8 and for a copy of both guides e mail john@merlinco.com

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 66,000 employees in around 1,400 offices and laboratories located all across the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI.

Corporate website www.bureauveritas.com/marine-and-offshore

  Marine client portal www.veristar.com  

For more information:

Stephane Le Diraison

Product Manager Marine Renewable Energy

+33 (0)1 55 24 74 23

stephane.le-diraison@bureauveritas.com

Philippe Boisson

Marine & Offshore Communication Director

Bureau Veritas

+33 (0)1 55 24 71 98 

philippe.boisson@bureauveritas.com