Strukton and its partners have started work on the commercial tidal power plant along the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier in the Netherlands.
The tidal power plant, which is owned by Tocardo Tidal Turbines, a manufacturer of freestanding hydro-electric power turbines, will feature five tidal turbines that enable the station to generate clean energy.
Strukton has been involved in the project since the start of the planning phase in 2010 and has entered into a partnership agreement with Tocardo Tidal Turbines with the aim of developing tidal power into a fully-fledged market.
The Eastern Scheldt Tidal Power project is the largest tidal power project ever undertaken in the Netherlands and will be the first time a total of five turbines are installed in an array.
For almost 60 years now, the world-renowned Delta Works have been protecting a major part of the Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea. The new project will be using one of these works, the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, to generate energy.
The fast-flowing water of the Eastern Scheldt makes it the best possible location in the Netherlands for generating tidal energy. The ebb and flow of the estuary generates very strong currents that can be used by Tocardo’s turbines for the safe and reliable generation of hydroelectric power. The turbines, which will become operational this autumn, have a total capacity of 1.2 MW – enough to supply electricity to 1,000 households.
Andre Hoogeveen, General Manager of Strukton Sustainable Energy commented:
“Tidal energy is a clean and reliable source of energy that can satisfy 10 to 20% of the global energy requirement. The realisation of this project marks a major step forward in the development of tidal energy. Together with Strukton Sustainable Energy, we intend to further develop tidal energy into a significant Dutch export product. This project in our domestic market is a good showpiece that we and our partners can use to enter the global market.”
As manager of the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, the Netherlands’ government agency for water management and public works Rijkswaterstaat supplied the location for the innovative sustainable energy initiative. Rijkswaterstaat works together with the private sector on the development of innovative solutions and where possible provides room to private-sector parties to test or implement innovations.
The Province of Zeeland has supported the project with a sizeable financial contribution. The project has also received contributions from the European Regional Development Fund, the Dutch government and the Province of Zeeland.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Börger UK, which has firmly established itself as a leading pump brand since it was set up in Staffordshire in 2004, has moved into bigger, brand-new premises in Shrewsbury.
HUBER Technology UK & Ireland are inviting people to register for their March webinar where they will be providing information about HUBER water intake screens for municipal and industrial applications.
Sulzer has launched a new global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Water Treatment Solutions - the CoE consolidates Sulzer’s wastewater treatment expertise in a unified and global manner.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.