URABAILA

The project is structured around two phases and a network of regional players in the PACA and Aquitaine areas.

As part of Phase 1, it will carry out the industrial research on technological components (rotors, flow accelerators, gearboxes, generators) for eco-designed, sustainable, high energy efficiency. The different technology options considered will be implemented on low kilowatt models and tested at SEENEOH (one of the trial sites of France Energies Marines) in a perfectly designed environment representative of a natural setting.

As part of Phase 2, the technological solutions adopted will be implemented in two pilot sites with a dozen or so kilowatts. It will aim to narrow down the choices from the point of view of performance and dependability for two specific configurations (channel, estuary). For the Gironde sites scientific knowledge will be brought to bear on understanding the turbines’ effects on the sedimentation of a natural estuarine environment. The feedback garnered during this phase will:

• establish the operating range of the machine architecture
• establish regulatory, financial and insurance recommendations necessary for the implementation of the project.