India set to get Asia's first tidal power plant

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.rediff.com/business/report/india-set-to-get-asias-first-tidal-power-plant/20110117.htm

With the proposed commissioning of a 50-Mw tidal power project off the coast of Gujarat in 2013, India [ Images ] is ready to place its first "seamark" that will be a first for Asia as well.

London-based marine energy developer Atlantis Resources Corporation, along with Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to start this project.

The cost for the plant is expected to be in the vicinity of Rs 750 crore (Rs 7.50 billion). This plant is also is expected to be scaled up to 250 Mw.

Timothy Cornelius, CEO, Atlantis Resources Corporation, said with just about 2 giga watt of tidal power installations in the world today, this is a completely new and uncharted power sources with immense potential. "Tidal power today is what wind energy was 10 years back," he said.

Due to the high investment in setting up the project, a typical tidal power project is expected to break even between 8 and 12 years after commissioning.

Despite the long gestation period to make it commercially viable, tidal power has unparalleled environmental advantages.

"Tidal current power uses turbines to harness the energy contained in the flow of ocean tides. It is unique as like tidal movements, power output is highly predictable and sustainable with zero visual impact and the turbines are completely submerged. Tidal power is like putting a wind turbine subsea and the turbine rotors rotate slowly, causing very little environmental impact to marine flora and fauna," said Cornelius.

The power offtaker would be Gujarat Power Corporation. The final cost of power per unit will be determined at the completion of front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase, but was expected to be competitive when compared to the large solar power projects planned for development in Gujarat, the company said.

The project is currently owned by Atlantis and GPCL and project equity participants will be sought at the completion of FEED phase.

Late last year, Atlantis became the turbine supplier to the largest planned marine power project in the world, MeyGen, a 378-Mw tidal power project in the Pentland Firth in Northern Scotland.

Current estimates suggest 15 per cent of the world's power demands can be met by tidal current power sources, while the estimates for India are currently around 5 per cent of its annual demand for power.

"It is only an estimate, but it could be certainly more than 5 per cent, inclusive of wave power and tidal power, from what we know now. However, resource investigation has just begun and with so much coast line, I would expect this number to increase significantly," said Cornelius.

Sea water, which is 832 times denser than air, gives a 5 knot ocean current more kinetic energy than a 350-km an hour wind, thus allowing ocean currents to have a very high energy density.

Accurate predictions of tidal current movements also make this one of the most predictable and, therefore, reliable sources of renewable energy available today.

 

[JayATL]

the environmentalist me loves this, the realist in me says - why spend money on this when there are more environmentally safe ventures that have a faster and proven ROI? this is the peoples money being used, it's their tax rupees.

 

[hit&run]

I am impressed. I would like to see this project in all coastal states and also another project of sea water filtration for drinking water and irrigation.

 

[amoy]

Asia's first? Which Asia? Check below
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangxia_Tidal_Power_Station and http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=8286

Jiangxia Tidal Power StationFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Location of Jiangxia Tidal Power Station
Country China
Locale Wuyantou, Wenling, Zhejiang
Coordinates 28°20"²34"³N 121°14"²25"³E / 28.34278°N 121.24028°E / 28.34278; 121.24028Coordinates: 28°20"²34"³N 121°14"²25"³E / 28.34278°N 121.24028°E / 28.34278; 121.24028
Status Operational
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Barrage
Reservoir
Tidal range 8.39 m (27.5 ft)
Power station
Commission date April 1980
Type Tidal barrage
Turbines 1 × 500 KW
1 × 600 KW
3 × 700 KW
Installed capacity 3.2 MW
Maximum capacity 3.9 MW
Annual generation 6,500 MWh
The Jiangxia Tidal Power Station is the third largest tidal power station in the world,[1] located in Wuyantou, Wenling City, Zhejiang Province, China. Although the proposed design for the facility was 3,000 KW, the current installed capacity is 3,200 KW, generated from one unit of 500 KW, one unit of 600 KW, and three units of 700 KW, totalling the installed capacity to 3,200 KW. Proposals were made to install a sixth 700 KW unit, but this has not yet been installed.[2][3] The facility generates up to 6.5 GWh of power annually.[3]

The power station feeds the energy demand of small villages at a 20 km (12 mi) distance, through a 35-kV transmission line. The maximum tidal range in the estuary is 8.39 m (27.5 ft).[2]

 

[amoy]

and this http://www.powergenworldwide.com/in...06/01/china-operates-tidal-power-project.html

China operates tidal power project


Published: Jan 6, 2006
6 January 2006 - Asia's first tidal power station has gone into operation in Daishan County of eastern China's Zhejiang province. The 40 kW tidal power station was developed by Harbin Engineering University and assisted by Daishan Technology Bureau at a cost of CNY 1.8m ($223 000).


Electricity is generated using the kinetic energy of the horizontal flow of seawater induced by the movement of the tide. The velocity of the tide flow is generally between two and four m/s around the Zhoushan islands


The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) plans to build another tidal power station with a power of 120-150 kW.


The global available reserves of the tidal energy tops 22 000 TWh annually according to the World Energy Council, which estimates that of this, 200 TWh is economically recoverable.

 

[Rage]

Asia's first? Which Asia? Check below
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangxia_Tidal_Power_Station and http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=8286

Because this is Asia's first tidal power plant on a commercial scale.

Check out the power ratings on the plants above: all in the KW's: 40 KW, 3200 KW/ 3.2 MW, etc. Barely enough to power a small colony of homes or a suburban district.

The tidal power plant being installed in the Gulf of Kutchh is on an industrial scale- 50MW to start with, to be expanded to 2000 MW if the firm permits. Its only other competition is the one in S Korea- which, would probably be the 'first' and come in at a startlin' 1 GW.

The following BBC article should clear some doubts:

India plans Asian tidal power first

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News


The Indian state of Gujarat is planning to host Asia's first commercial-scale tidal power station.

The company Atlantis Resources is to install a 50MW tidal farm in the Gulf of Kutch on India's west coast, with construction starting early in 2012.

The facility could be expanded to deliver more than 200MW.

The biggest operating tidal station in the world, La Rance in France, generates 240MW, while South Korea is planning several large facilities.

To claim the title of "Asia's first", the Indian project will have to outrun developments at Sihwa Lake, a South Korean tidal barrage under construction on the country's west coast.

Atlantis's recent feasibility study in Gujarat concluded that the state had good potential for tidal exploitation.

"About two and a half years ago we ran a global study of tidal power resources and came up with some hotspots where resource seemed pretty well matched to load," said Atlantis CEO Tim Cornelius.

"One of them was the Gulf of Kutch - and since then we've had wonderful support from the government, culminating in the announcement that the project was going ahead," he told BBC News.

The Atlantis AK1000 turbine will be
deployed in the Gulf of Kutch​

Projections indicate that the cost of the initial 50MW farm - to consist of 50 1MW turbines - will come in at about $150m.

As much of the manufacturing as possible will take place in Gujarat, taking advantage of the skills base in India's booming wind turbine industry.


Tide turning?

The current timescale has the project's final engineering plans completed by the end of this year, with construction commencing early next year and completing by 2013.

"Gujarat has significant resource in the waters of its coast, so tidal energy represents a huge opportunity for us," said DJ Pandian, chairman and managing director of Gujarat Power Corporation.

"This project will be India's and indeed Asia's first at commercial scale, and will deliver important economic and environmental benefits for the region, as well as paving the way for similar developments within Gujarat."

Tidal power is a tiny contributor to global electricity generation, even compared with other renewables.

But there is a feeling in the industry that a phase of fast expansion is beginning.

In October, a consortium including Atlantis was given the right to develop a tidal farm involving about 400 turbines in the Pentland Firth in Scotland, which as things stand would be the world's biggest - although South Korea's proposed Incheon barrage would come in at over 1GW.

China, and other parts of India, are also seen as productive areas in the near future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12215065

 

[maomao]

Great post and a thread altogether!! Moreover, a great reply!!