Delay as Hayle wave power cables sink once more despite buoyancy aid
Work to lay cables for Cornwall's pioneering scheme to generate energy from wave power has been delayed once more after the cable sank.
The bid to install the cables for the Wave Hub scheme off the coast of Hayle was delayed three times last week due to a combination of poor weather and equipment failure.
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Wave Hub's Guy Lavender
On Saturday, it recommenced but had to be quickly halted when problems occurred with a flotation device and the cable sunk while being floated to land from a ship just over one mile offshore.
Divers must now attach a new buoyancy unit to the sunken cable, which means the work will be delayed until tomorrow at the earliest.
Once the cable is reattached to the buoyancy aid, it can be refloated and taken to Towan Beach where, at high tide, it will be winched up to a nearby electricity sub station.
When the tide retreats, the buoyancy aids from the cable will be removed and tests carried out.
A spokesman for the project said it was pioneering technology and the hiccups encountered were most certainly "not a catastrophe".
The hub, which will send energy from machines on the sea surface to wave power units ashore which link to the National Grid, is due to undergo tests in the autumn.
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by michael, marazion
Tuesday, August 10 2010, 12:32PM
“the locality of this affair is local in the same way as the wehrmacht marching into france was local. any economic gains will leave the county, can't quite understand why an ex lt.col is in charge, thought it might need an engineer type. my surly ex squaddie neighbour says 'ruperts' always get dished out with jobs by their old schoolchums.”
by jimbo, Somewhere in Cornwall
Monday, August 09 2010, 8:45PM
“this is hardly the biggest news in the world? there are always delays (especially when on day rates?!?) and usually the project management teams have no local knowledge - parachuted in on huge expense. It will work eventually, everyone will move onto another moan and BP will leak some more oil elsewhere. Tra la la!”
by Irish Dave, Leedstown
Monday, August 09 2010, 7:02PM
“Take the opportunity to pack in it now before even more money is wasted on this farrago of nonsense.”
by Dave, Dogtown
Monday, August 09 2010, 4:42PM
“Nuff was a fairy that lived at the bottom of the garden. Fairy Nuff.”
by robbie, hayle
Monday, August 09 2010, 4:36PM
“when andrew george was MP for hayle he did absolutely nothing to stop thausands of tons of sand from being removed and sold from hayle beach,hes useless and good riddence to him.”