Jee has been awarded a contract from Scottish Enterprise to develop subsea electrical array cable solutions for tidal energy installations.
The contract is part of a pioneering study for the marine energy industry in Scotland, and will see Jee develop solutions for locating, securing, protecting and recovering electrical array cables for tidal energy installations. The cables will transport power generated from tidal energy devices deployed in high-tidal flow areas to the shore.
Jee managing director Trevor Jee said: "This contract attests to our decades of experience in providing innovative subsea engineering services to the expanding renewables industry.
"Jee has completed several projects for major wind farm developers around the UKCS, involving the design and development of cable-protection systems, analysis and installation of cables, cable route surveys and burial methodology, and as a result, this experience has positioned us perfectly for this project."
Jee is one of five companies to work on the project, which has been supported by £2.4m of funding. As part of Task A of the project, up to three solutions from the five presented by the participating companies will be chosen to progress through to practical demonstrations in sea conditions by late 2015 (phase 2).
Jee has approached the problem by developing four innovative concepts that have been assessed for the practicalities of installation and retrieval, in order to identify the most suitable solution.
Jee senior engineer Martyn Campbell, who is leading the project, said: "The relatively deep water and fast currents typically found within tidal energy developments make the cable-protection solutions more of a challenge. The UK is leading the world in tidal energy and it is exciting to be able to contribute to this fast-moving industry."
For Task B of the project, Jee will develop a conceptual design for a solution to meet longer-term requirements for cable protection in tidal arrays. The produced solution could involve substantial shifts in the way cables are manufactured and installed, and significantly contribute to the growth of the emerging tidal energy industry.