HydroQuest and CMN have been developing an innovative demonstration project since 2016 for the marine turbine sector. Selected following the “Renewable energies at sea and pilot river turbine farms” call-for-projects, funded by the French government as part of its Investments in the Future Program and operated by Ademe, this project is expected to confirm the performance of the “HydroQuest Ocean” tidal turbine generator under real operating conditions, prior to international commercialization.

Press release, June 7, 2018 - Representing global energy potential estimated at 100 GW, the tidal turbine industry is now ready to set sail. At ICOE 2018, a major worldwide event for Marine Renewable Energy, June 12 - 14, 2018 in Cherbourg, France, HydroQuest, a French turbine manufacturer, and its equity partner CMN (Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie) announce their roadmap to set up, commission, and connect the "HydroQuest Ocean" turbine generator to the grid at EDFs Paimpol-Bréhat site in the spring of 2019.

HydroQuest and CMN have been developing an innovative demonstration project since 2016 for the marine turbine sector. Selected following the "Renewable energies at sea and pilot river turbine farms" call-for-projects, funded by the French government as part of its Investments in the Future Program and operated by Ademe, this project is expected to confirm the performance of the "HydroQuest Ocean" tidal turbine generator under real operating conditions, prior to international commercialization.

" After this project, we would like to implement commercial farms at high-potential sites in France and elsewhere around the world. Our goal is to reduce costs over the medium-term to reach a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) well under 100 €/MWh, thus making tidal turbines an effective alternative supporting the energy transition.
Jean-François Simon, CEO of HydroQuest and Pierre Balmer, CEO of CMN

Currently being assembled at CMN workshops in Cherbourg, the "HydroQuest Ocean" marine turbine is 25 meters wide and 11 meters tall, offering the following key benefits:


 High performance: with unique technology featuring two vertical axes and generators outside the production flow, the turbine offers efficient hydrodynamic output with nominal power of 1 MW.
 Robust design: the all-metal structure improves resistance to water constraints while reducing the cost of maintenance operations.
 Adjustable height: the unit will be developed with either one or two levels to adapt to the various depths of worldwide water resources.
 Bidirectional operation. Machine stays motionless when tidal current reverses. Little sensitivity to current direction.

The turbine will be finished by CMN workshops before the end of 2018, with installation planned in agreement with EDF at its Paimpol-Bréhat site starting in April 2019. Commissioning the turbine at EDFs Paimpol-Bréhat site is scheduled for the spring of 2019 for an initial period of 12 months.

" In parallel, we are awaiting for the Ministry of the Ecological and Solidarity Transition to launch the first commercial turbine farm call-for-tender in Raz-Blanchard, off the Cotentin coast, and Fromveur, off the Finistère coast in France. These projects will accelerate cost reductions across the industry.
Jean-François Simon, CEO of HydroQuest and Pierre Balmer, CEO of CMN




Meet Jean-François Simon, CEO of HydroQuest,
at ICOE 2018,
June 12 - 14 at the Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg, France Booth A124



About HydroQuest
Based in the heart of the French Alps near Grenoble, the birth-place of hydroelectricity, HydroQuest was founded in 2010. The company has developed a line of turbines capable of producing electricity from water flows in rivers, estuaries, and oceans. HydroQuest benefits from a solid scientific and technical foundation, leveraging a qualified team of employees, project developers, engineers, and PhDs with proven expertise in mechanics, hydrodynamics and electricity, and over ten years of research carried out by four internationally-renowned laboratories specializing in hydroelectricity. The company has a portfolio of nine internationally registered patents developed in partnership with EDF and Grenoble-INP. HydroQuest has already set up several turbines in Grenoble, Orléans, Bordeaux and Guiana.

About CMN
CMN (Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie) is a French shipyard specializing in the construction of military and civilian vessels. With operations located for over 60 years in Cherbourg, France, the companys head office is in Paris. CMN employs over 350 highly qualified people, designing and producing some of the worlds most advanced vessels and boiler systems. CMN has been involved with the marine and river turbine sector since 2012.