LR issues world’s first IECRE Feasibility Statement for a renewable energy converter

June 1, 2023

Flex Marine Power has been awarded the world’s first IECRE Feasibility Statement by LR for its SwimmerTurbine^™ SW2 tidal energy convertor, following successful completion of the Technology Qualification process in accordance with IEC TS 62600-4. This is the first time the International Electrotechnical Commission for Renewable Energy has awarded a Feasibility Statement for a renewable energy technology.

The award was presented by Alistair MacKinnon, IECRE Chair in the presence of Wolfram Zeitz, Executive Secretary of the IECRE and Jonathan Colby, IECRE Convenor for the Marine Energy Sector Working Group, at an award ceremony at LR’s office in Aberdeen. LR is currently the only certification body that can award Statements or Certificates for Marine Energy converters through the IECRE conformity assessment system

In 2021, LR became the world’s first Renewable Energy Certification Body (RECB) with a scope in Marine Energy to be accepted by the IECRE.

As a RECB, LR assessed the tidal energy technology in accordance with applicable international standards and published IECRE operational documents. Following the completion of a Technology Qualification (TQ) workshop, Flex Marine Power developed a TQ Plan outlining the full set of qualification activities they intend completing to provide evidence the technology is viable for the intended application at the deployment site.

Flex Marine Power can now develop a full-scale test programme founded on the approved TQ Plan that formed the basis for the award of the Feasibility Statement. This grants Flex Marine Power the basis to pursue certification through the internationally accepted IECRE conformity assessment system.

(L-R) Alistair MacKinnon, IECRE Chair; Flex Marine CEO and Technical Director David Mummery; Jonathan Colby, IECRE Convenor for the Marine Energy Sector Working Group; Winston D’Souza, Lead Technology Qualification and Marine Energy Specialist; Kourosh Parsa, LR Global Head of Technology (Offshore) and Wolfram Zeitz, Executive Secretary of the IECRE

Winston D’Souza, LR’s Global Technical Authority for Technology Qualification and Lead Marine Energy specialist said: “Lloyd’s Register is a trusted partner for renewable energy technology developers working to achieve recognition through the IECRE conformity assessment system for their respective technologies. As Lloyd’s Register has an IECRE scope in Wind and Marine energy, it makes it the only RECB capable of certifying hybrid energy systems (such as floating energy converters) where technologies share the same offshore floating platform. The achievement of this award is evidence of the dedicated work put in by the engineering team at Flex Marine Power that considered the unfamiliar, and their commitment towards working through the next stages of the IECRE conformity assessment system. Lloyd’s Register continues to wish Flex Marine Power every success over the next chapters in the development of their technology.”

David Mummery, CEO and Technical Director of Flex Marine Power Ltd, said: “The assessment of our SwimmerTurbineTM SW2 tidal energy converter through the IECRE conformity assessment system, was a thorough process that required effort involving detailed scrutiny of our technology by a diverse external group of technical specialists. Flex Marine Power has gained value through the process in the minimisation of risks, to secure the success of our tidal projects. For Flex Marine Power, achieving this milestone is testament to the capability of our engineering team and preceding technical development work in developing a viable technology suited for scalable power generation in a wide range of coastal locations.”

Jonathan Colby, Convenor for the IECRE Marine Energy Sector Working Group said: “On behalf of the Marine Energy Sector of the IECRE System, congratulations to Flex Marine Power and Lloyd’s Register for the issuance of this Feasibility Statement. As the first deliverable issued by an IECRE Certification Body within the ME Sector, this marks a critical milestone in the development of the IECRE System and for the marine energy industry at large as we continue on the path to commercialization.”