Indeximate Ltd has embarked on a groundbreaking partnership with SAE Renewables at the MeyGen tidal-stream energy plant in Caithness, Scotland. This collaboration brings cutting-edge, cloud-based cable condition monitoring to one of the most dynamic tidal environments in the world. Through Indeximate’s Scattersphere platform, MeyGen will gain unparalleled insights into the long-term health of its subsea cables, ensuring operational efficiency and sustainability.
This initiative enhances MeyGen’s existing commitment to cable health assessment, leveraging the ASN OptoDAS monitoring system with Indeximate’s advanced long-term trending analysis. By examining raw Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data, Indeximate will assess critical factors such as fatigue, armour degradation, abrasion, vibration, and free span conditions, offering a proactive approach to infrastructure maintenance.
MeyGen’s subsea cables face a unique challenge, resting unburied on an exposed seabed in one of the world’s most intense tidal streams. Previous analyses of a month’s worth of data suggest that the multiple layers of cable armour are effectively preventing fatigue. Extending this analysis across a full dataset will enable deeper insights into the evolving environmental conditions. In addition to delivering real-time monitoring via a comprehensive dashboard, Indeximate will store a complete annual DAS record—amounting to nearly 1 petabyte of data—within its cloud-based Scattersphere system. By applying its proprietary Indeximation® compression technology, Indeximate ensures efficient storage and accessibility, enabling seamless cloud streaming and long-term data analysis.
MeyGen is the world’s largest tidal array, located in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, Scotland. With over a decade of operational experience, the company has generated over 62GWh of electricity, maintaining an impressive system availability of over 95% from its 1.5MW tidal turbines. Constantly striving to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs, MeyGen has been at the forefront of demonstrating the commercial potential of tidal energy in the UK.
As part of its commitment to asset management and cost reduction, MeyGen has partnered with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to monitor its subsea cables using Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology. By contracting Indeximate for continuous monitoring, MeyGen will gain valuable data to assess cable movement due to tidal flow, allowing the company to take proactive measures in preventing damage and loss of generation. This strategic approach not only enhances operational security but also helps reduce insurance exposure and maintenance costs.
Fraser Johnson, Operations & Maintenance Manager at MeyGen PLC, emphasised the importance of this collaboration, highlighting how Indeximate’s monitoring capabilities will drive informed asset management strategies, helping to prevent cable damage and reduce operating expenses. The ability to quantify cable movement and act accordingly will further solidify MeyGen’s position as a leader in tidal energy innovation.
Paul Clarkson, Director at Indeximate Ltd, described the contract as a significant milestone for the company. By transitioning from discrete cable health checks to permanent condition monitoring, Indeximate is paving the way for long-term risk assessment in subsea infrastructure. Additionally, storing a year’s worth of DAS data in the cloud will provide new opportunities to understand environmental changes over extended periods.
Dan Danskin, Commercial Manager at Alcatel Submarine Networks, acknowledged the transformative potential of analysing and storing a full year of OptoDAS data. This capability will allow MeyGen to enhance the precision and effectiveness of ASN’s OptoDAS Frequency Swept Interrogation (FSI) solution, setting a new standard for subsea cable monitoring.
Alcatel Submarine Networks, a subsidiary of Nokia, leads the global subsea transmission industry with over 750,000 km of optical submarine systems deployed worldwide. Their expertise spans traditional telecom applications, offshore energy, and turnkey subsea transmission solutions. With a comprehensive suite of services, including installation, commissioning, and maintenance, ASN continues to push the boundaries of undersea data transmission.
Simon Cheeseman, Sector Lead for Wave & Tidal Energy at ORE Catapult, underscored the importance of effective subsea cable condition monitoring in reducing operational costs and maximising energy output. According to ORE Catapult’s Tidal Stream Technology Roadmap, enhanced monitoring strategies could reduce the levelised cost of energy for tidal projects by 2-5%. The support of the TIGER project in advancing subsea cable monitoring at MeyGen marks a significant step toward commercialising tidal energy at scale.
MeyGen’s pioneering work in tidal energy, combined with Indeximate’s advanced monitoring solutions and ASN’s industry-leading technology, represents a major leap forward for the renewable energy sector. As the demand for sustainable and predictable energy sources grows, the insights gained from this collaboration will play a crucial role in shaping the future of tidal power.
SAE Renewables Limited (LON:SAE) was founded in 2005 as a supplier of tidal stream turbines, SAE quickly grew to include development of tidal stream projects and is the majority owner of MeyGen, the world’s largest tidal stream energy project.
