SIMEC Atlantis Energy

SIMEC Atlantis Energy (SAE, formerly: Atlantis Resources) is a renewable energy company. It is incorporated in Singapore, but its operational headquarters are in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. Initially, it was a developer of the tidal power turbines and projects, but after becoming a part of GFG Alliance it has expanded its business also to the waste-to-energy and hydropower.

History
In February 2014, Atlantis became the world's first tidal energy company to float on the London Stock Exchange's AIM sub-market and commenced construction on MeyGen, Europe's largest tidal power project in the Pentland Firth. On 20 February 2017, the company announced that it had completed the phase 1a of the Meygen project. This phase included the design, manufacture and deployment of four 1.5 MW turbines. The project received £1.5 million Scottish Government grant in 2020.

A number of strategic investments and acquisitions occurred in late 2015 and throughout 2016. SAE acquired the tidal turbine developer Marine Current Turbines from Siemens, including the SeaGen turbine in Strangford Lough, and a portfolio of six project sites. SAE also acquired two other projects from ScottishPower Renewables, the 100 MW Ness of Duncansby site in the Pentland Firth to the east of the MeyGen project, and a 10 MW project in the Sound of Islay. In 2016 the company decided to focus on the most developed sites, so returned the agreement for lease for two potential projects to the Crown Estate, one at Kylerhea between Skye and the Scottish mainland and one at Anglesey Skeries, North Wales.

In 2017, GFG Alliance acquired 49.99% stake in the company in return of the coal-fired Uskmouth power station, which was to be converted to a 220 MW waste-to-energy plant. Consequently, Atlantis Resources was renamed SIMEC Atlantis Energy. In early 2021 the planning was called-in by the Welsh Government for the development of Uskmouth power station, putting the project in doubt. The project was abandoned in April 2022.

In 2019, SAE acquired the Scottish hydro developer Green Highland Renewables.

In 2020, it created a subsidiary Atlantis Operations Japan, which will build a tidal turbine between the southern Japanese islands of Hisaka and Naru islands for Kyuden Mirai Energy. The 500 kW AR500 turbine was built at the Nigg Energy Park, and shipped to Japan for installation. The turbine was reported to have produced 10 MWh of energy in the first days of operation in early February 2021. The turbine was decommissioned in December 2023, and will be upgraded in Japan for redeployment in 2025.

Also in 2020, SAE announced plans to develop a 160 MW Wyre tidal barrage on the River Wyre. This would be in conjunction with Natural Energy Wyre Limited, who started developing the project in 2015. It is proposed the barrage would span the river between Fleetwood and Knott End, and would generate 90 MW of electricity.

In October 2022, there was a management buyout of the Advanced Tidal Engineering and Services (ATES) with the associated IP and staff, forming a new company called Proteus Marine. SAE remains a minority shareholder in the new company, with a 21% stake. Proteus Marine will continue to supply turbines to SAE, for MeyGen and other projects.

Operations
Atlantis has commercial and project development teams based in Edinburgh. Through its subsidiaries, the company is developing the 6 MW Meygen tidal turbine array in Pentland Firth, Scotland.

In the cooperation with the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and the China Three Gorges Corporation, it helped to design the 500-kilowatt tidal-stream turbine which was installed between Putuoshan and Huludao islands in the Zhoushan archipelago, China.

It had an operations base located at Nigg Energy Park in Invergordon and the turbine and engineering services division was located in Bristol. In Japan, it supplied the 500-kilowatt tidal-stream turbine which was between Hisaka and Naru. In France, SIMEC Atlantis Energy held a 49% stake in Normandie Hydroliennes, the marine energy development company which is developing 12 MW tidal power project in Raz Blanchard. All of these were transferred to Proteus Marine in October 2022.