Northern Ireland's much anticipated world-first tidal turbine, on Strangford Lough, has hit a glitch.

Described as a 'minor hiccup', the fault occurred the day after Thursday's launch.

A Seagen programming problem resulted in one of the blades sustaining damage.

The electricity turbine was activated last week to supply a small amount of energy on a test basis.

The installation has made the Co Down-based project the first of its kind to contribute to the national grid.

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The fault now means the generation of full power is not expected until early autumn.

Seagen is positioned 400m offshore between Strangford and Portaferry, allowing it to take advantage of strong tidal forces.

Installed in May, the project was expected to be fully operational by the end of this summer.

Marine Current Turbines, the firm behind Seagen, has suggested the turbine could generate 1.2 Mega Watts of electricity when at full flow.

Replacement blades are now reportedly being on order from the firm who made the machinery.

See: Strangford Lough Making Waves In Tidal Power

(PR)