Dutch tidal plant put into operation

 “This project marks an important step in the development of tidal energy. Tidal technology is innovative and could grow into a significant Dutch export product. The export expectation of tidal energy is more than 200 Gigawatt. With our turbines in the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, we can now show the world what tidal energy is all about: providing a clean and reliable source of energy that could fulfil 10-20% of the world’s electricity needs,” says Hans van Breugel, CEO of Tocardo, producer of the tidal power plant.

Earlier this year Tocardo, based in  Den Oever, installed three linked turbines in the Afsluitdijk, a 30 km long primary sea defence in the Netherlands, with a total capacity of 300 kW. Another Tocardo turbine in the Afsluitdijk has been providing electricity for over six years now.

In addition to the financial sponsoring of the project, Huisman was responsible for the design and the construction of the turbine’s suspension structure.

According to Joop Roodenburg, Chairman of Huisman’s Board of Directors, the advantages of tidal energy are evident. “Besides the fact that it is extremely predictable how much energy is generated – the tide is there every day – the turbines are installed in the water and will not be in sight such as wind turbines. For the future we focus on upscaling the installations. However, this requires a large investment, a realistic rate for tidal energy and a touch of idealism. Only then we can build an important export industry. Huisman has been willing to take this risk and supports the project financially, because we believe in the future of tidal energy and great Dutch export opportunities”.

This project received funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the Dutch government and the province of Zeeland as part of the Operational Programme for Zuid-Nederland (OP-Zuid).

The fast-flowing water of the Eastern Scheldt estuary makes it the ideal location in the Netherlands for generating tidal energy.  The Oosterschelde turbine array was installed on 25-Sept-15 and has a total capacity of 1.2 MW.

For more information about the tidal projects mentioned in this article please flow the links provided. Alternatively you can view projects worldwide with our Tidal project database.